All posts by Noob of All Trades

Shawn Lucas is the self identified "Noob of All Trades". He is married and the father of three boys, two of whom help with their own podcast every couple of months. Raised on Atari, Nintendo, and Sega, he enjoys all games and will play all of them to the best of his ability, which is often average at best. Currently, he is most interested in Magic, Heroclix, and other games that he can play with Chris and his sons.
Snap *censored* Pop Culture

Marvel Zombies First Impressions

Leave a comment

Introduction

For clarification, this article covers the new show released on Disney+ this week. Yes, I’m one of the whores who kept Disney+ in spite of their capitulation to the Trump administration. None of us are innocent in this. Let he who is free of sin cast the first stone. Okay, mini sermon over. Let’s talk about my Marvel Zombies first impressions.

Yesterday, a student asked if I watched the show. He knows that I’m a Marvel fan. Earlier in the week, he asked me to be part of his Marvel trivia segment on the school news show. I failed. Got Sebastian Stan correct as the actor who plays Bucky. Couldn’t remember E.D.I.T.H or Moon Knight’s 3 main personalities. Oh well, can’t win ’em all.

Marvel Zombies First Impressions (by Episode)

Episode 1

A good introduction to the world. The typical drop you in the middle of the apocalypse with no explanation. Some call this lazy writing, but it works as a narrative device. Our team of heroes consists of characters shit on by the fan base over the last couple of years. I love that. Fuck the neck beards who can’t handle a woman protagonist and feel the need to come up with explanations for their misogyny. I will keep it spoiler free, but the plot revolves around a fetch quest. Another group of maligned characters teams up with them and the big bad is teased. Good start – 7/10

Episode 2

Flashback time! We still don’t know the genesis of the plague, but we get some more of the before times. Yet, again, they go to the well of shit on projects, Shang Chi. As an aside, I loved Shang Chi and don’t understand the hate here. This episode revolves around their back story and what they’re up to now. Slight spoiler: It’s very reminiscent of Mad Max. Fun characters get introduced. Shit hits the fan in a big way and we get a closer look at the big bad. Decent follow up – 7/10

Episode 3

Another flashback. Spider-Man, Black Panther, and a ridiculous third character (trying very hard to avoid big spoilers) fight against a potentially huge enemy. Not the big bad, but a big bad from the MCU’s past. I think they handled this fight and result in the most perfect way. Good thing because they telegraphed the next reveal so hard that I literally rolled my eyes when it happened. They made up for it with another kick ass fight between the big bad and an outstanding cameo. Now, things are getting good – 8/10

Episode 4

The finale. I know! Only 4 episodes? Well, it made for an enjoyable, but not too long, binge. I literally can’t talk about anything in this episode without giving away huge spoilers. So, I will simply cover the structure of the episode. All I can say is this episode is amazing. I loved everything about it. Folks on Reddit had some things to say, but I never listen to professional critics. I’m not going to bother with amateur hour. Did one thing that finales are supposed to do. Left me wanting more. Great finish – 9/10

My Verdict

TLDR: Watch the series, if only for the finale episode. Seriously, I hated Zeb Wells run on Spider-Man, but he did well on Deadpool and Wolverine, and he killed it on this one. Starts a little slow (not in the action way), but picks up and finishes strong. Plus, it’s only about 2 hours out of your life if you hate it.

Snap *censored* Pop Culture

State of Spawniverse – September 2025

Leave a comment

Introduction

I’ve been home sick from school the last three days and I’m starting to get a little stir crazy. I don’t want to record while sick because the audio might strain my voice too much or there will be too much coughing to edit. So, I went to my schedule and looked to see what else I can do to update the page this week. Earlier in the week, I gave my State of Spawniverse – September 2025 on Tik Tok. Might as well also upload it here for anyone who still reads blogs.

The Books

King Spawn 48: Rory McConville with Uncle Todd on script, Dudu Pansica on art

Story: Been done before. Spawn as judge, jury, and executioner. Still a fun read. 2/5 Art: Cool haunted house vibes before the inevitable ultraviolence. 3/5 Worth? It’s a fun story. Worth a read.

Gunslinger Spawn 46: Uncle Todd on story with Carlo Barberi doing art

Story: Typical Uncle Todd plot soup. A lot happening for not too much to happen. 2/5 Art: Barberi is my favorite artist on the books. 4/5. Worth? For the art and maybe I was too tough on Uncle Todd. I’ll reread it.

Sam and Twitch 16: Jordan Barel with story, Thomas Nachlik on art

Story: Twitch’s personal and professional drama meet the supernatural. Excellent. 4/5 Art: Not the usual Spawn style, but it works for this book. 3/5. Worth? Absolutely. You want this book.

Rat City 17: Erica Schults writes, Ze Carlos draws.

Story: Wow. It took me a while to “get” this book, but it has it all. Drama. Trauma. Reckoning with the past. Bravo. 4/5 Art: Brings it all together. You see the action, the desperation, the fear. 4/5 Worth? Absolutely. But this book at any cost.

Spawn 367: Uncle Todd on story, Brett Booth on art

Story: Took a while to find its footing after 300 and 350. Still not 100% there, but constantly progressing. 3/5 Art: Plays with color in a way that’s intense and fun. Puts you on edge from go. 3/5 Worth? Check out the art. Story can be skipped right now.

The Scorched 44: Layman and Uncle Todd plot, Stephen Segovia art

Story: Brings the band back together. Setting up for the next big battle. Doesn’t showcase Layman’s strengths, IMO 3/5 Art: Segovia is my 2nd favorite behind Barberi. 3/5 Worth? If only to be in the know when the next big thing hits.

The Verdict

Overall, the state of Spawniverse – September 2025 is solid. A few of the books are great. None of them are simply outright bad. For a character that’s been out over 30 years now, they keep finding ways to keep him relevant and fresh. For that, Uncle Todd has my utmost respect.

Images taken from the mothership.

Digital Playground

Summer 2025 Post Mortem

Leave a comment

Introduction

At the beginning of summer, even before I conducted my final class, cleaned my room, and stepped out of the school for, well, for only two weeks because of summer school, I put together a list of 5 games I wanted to play over the summer. I knew, as you probably did, that list would not be completed. However, maybe I should have played more than one of them for an extended period of time. That might make Summer 2025 Post Mortem a bit less depressing.

It’s not that I didn’t play video games. In fact, I discovered a web page that superimposes achievements onto older video games. As a result, I spent most of my free time in Europe playing Mario vs. Donkey Kong to beat that game. When we got back, I went to one of my favorite games of all time, Frostbite. I need only one achievement there in order to “complete” that game. More recently, I picked up Super Mario 64 again. One of the greatest games ever made. Can’t hate me for that.

The Game(s) I Played

As mentioned, I played a tiny amount of both Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Last of Us. Literally only played through the introduction of both games. Hey, it just gives me a head start on Games for Winter Break. Or, maybe Summer Break 2026. Who knows, maybe I’ll get really crazy and play them without a vacation or one pending.

I played a ton of Hades. Made it to Meg a couple of times. Unlocked the vault or whatever its called where you get kudos for meeting the gods, getting different bonuses, etc. Both of those made me want to play the game even more. If I have time, maybe I will upload some of that play to the YouTube in between Pokemon, Truck Driving, trying to 100% Mario vs. DK and Doors. So, there’s another one I promised!

The Verdict

I said this Summer 2025 Post Mortem might be depressing. I suppose, in retrospect, that makes sense. You rarely go into a post mortem thinking that it will be bright and rosy. However, there are a couple of ways to approach it. I’d rather celebrate the good that I accomplished than worry about the bad or what I didn’t.

Uncategorized

The Summer of Family

Leave a comment

Introduction

As I spent the last two and a half weeks with 2/3 of the family in London and Belgium, I thought about how I might frame the Fantastic Four review that I had yet to write. Then, it came to me in a flash. When I reviewed Thunderbolts* and, even, Superman, I talked about family. Three movies, one common theme. Also, the time in Europe. It’s really simple if you make it. The Summer of Family.

A Recap

The family in Thunderbolts* is chosen family. Superman, of course, focuses on adopted family. Both of these concepts are near and dear to me. Those who have been around for a while know that I often say that “family ain’t nothing but blood”. It sounds brutal and, I suppose on some level, it is. But, there’s no guarantee that the people who birth you or live with you from an early age, based solely on that birth, are good people.

And, I don’t think there should be a requirement to stay in that shitty situation simply because you share blood with those people. It’s unhealthy (both physcially and emotionally). It might be downright dangerous and life-threatening. Why shouldn’t you be allowed to tell them to fuck off and find people who will love you and care about you for who you are?

In Thunderbolts*, Red Guardian does just that. He keeps pushing the people around him to love and care about each other. Ultimately, that’s all Bob needs to help him control the Sentry and Void (or at least keep them at bay). In Superman, when he learns that his parents are supremacist assholes, initially it breaks his entire identity. Then, Pa Kent sets him right and he and the world are better for it.

Fantastic Four (THE Summer of Family Movie)

Fantastic Four, as with many Marvel comics, involves actual blood relations. Reed and Sue are married. Sue and Johnny are brother and sister. Franklin is Sue’s and Reed’s child. Ben is adopted since he is a close friend of Reed. And, while they fight with one another (all families have some friction), they ultimately love one another and that love keeps them together as a team.

Some might argue (actually, I know for a fact that they have because I stumbled on the articles soon after seeing the movie) that all of this love and devotion might make for a shitty movie. I don’t agree. Maybe it’s because I’ve often been surrounded by people that love and support me, but when I see that on a screen, it makes me more likely to enjoy that movie. And, this one is no different.

Ultimately, I go to movies to be entertained. And, this movie was highly entertaining. I laughed more than once. Some of you believe that the old funny pages ain’t supposed to be funny. I say, to you sir, pull that stick out of your ass. When the Silver Surfer showed up, it barely even registered that she was female instead of male. She played the part so well that it gave me chills. The most common argument lately is that the “coolest” characters get almost no screen time. This time it was Galactus. But, I liked the design of the character and hope to see more.

The Verdict

These three movies gave very different representations of family, but they all did a great job in getting the point across. I loved every single one of them and even saw Superman twice. I await a rainy day to plub myself in front of Disney+ to watch the other two again along with Captain America and enjoy myself with one last glimmer of “The Summer of Family” before school takes over. The grumps out there? I guess post more dumb shit on Twitter and message boards.

Snap *censored* Pop Culture

Superman (Gunn Version) Review

2 Comments

Introduction

The second entry in the most anticipated July movie season in recent memory released this week. The first was Jurassic World. Next is Fantastic Four in a couple of weeks. A few of our friends saw the movie in early screenings on Thursday. We waited until yesterday and went as a family. As I watched the movie, I wondered how to frame this Superman (Gunn Version) review.

I considered writing a straight review of the movie. However, that rarely fits with my style. So, I tried to think of other ways to write it. The most obvious, and my final choice, revolves around the “controversies” of the movie. As I wrote on social media earlier in the week. Superman is not woke. You’re just a terrible person.

As much as I hate to platform these Nazi fucks, I feel that it is important to show just how dumb they are. And, people fall into the trap every single time.

Really? Okay, Fine, Let’s Do This

SyderBots vs. James Gunn’s Superman: I saw this one early in the development of the movie. Snyder’s fans came out of the woodwork to bash the casting of David Coronswet. They further went on to say that the movie looked too “cartoony”. It’s a fucking comic book movie, you cretins! They absolutely lost their shit when Krypto showed up on the sneak preview trailer. Look, I hated Snyder’s take on Superman. But, I gave it chance after chance and watched every single one of the movies. Except the Snyder Cut. By that time, they exhausted me and I gave up. I mean, these dudes are just deranged. And, I like the meta commentary of the infinite monkeys in the movie. That’s what I’ll call them from now on.

Truth, Justice, and a Better Tomorrow: Other than the fact that Superman debuted in a country famous for jingoism, I never understood the “American Way” version of the original slogan. Besides, why is the default always the “United States” of America. We named two whole ass continents America. And, even so, they only represent a small fraction of the world population as a whole. So, Superman, a dude who flies around the world and saves everyone equally, now represents that world’s population. The absolute horror. Seriouly, folks, shut off that right wing echo chamber and take a breath.

Note: My SEO addon suggests that I limit my subheadings to less that three hundred words. As a result, I moved this one to its own subheading.

Superman is Woke?

Let’s ignore, for a moment, that the word woke has lost all meaning. The infinite monkeys did what they always do. They co-opted something good and turned it into something bad so that they could relentlessly attack it. I used to joke that “woke” became their new word because they couldn’t use the N-word. It’s not a joke anymore because now they do the same with DEI. I watched the movie. Yes, it leans into the theme of Superman as an immigrant. James Gunn chose that theme to appeal to your empathy. If you can accept Superman, the ultimate illegal immigrant, as a good person, maybe you can apply that empathy to actual living human beings. Human beings that now find themselves being threated with swamps filled with alligators.

I never thought I’d have to say it, but if you’re rooting for people to be eaten by alligators, you’re not a good person. They named the guy who wanted to do that Dr. Evil, for the love of all that is holy. What breaks inside of you that makes you pick on those weaker than you? Why punch down? What gains come from that? Meanwhile, the people who always harm society and the planet continue to commit actual violence against us and our environment. Lex Luthor, the soulless capitalist perverting and exploiting everything to his whims. I know people want to sound smart, by positing “there’s no true good or evil”, but why can’t we agree that the d-bags who hoover up all the money and leave us fighting for scraps probably aren’t the heroes that we make them out to be? I mean, any time something horrible happens, it can always be traced back to them and their decisions.

We Live in Parody

Once upon a time, we considered that so ridiculous that they included it in an Austin Powers movie. Austin Powers is an over the top parody of an already over the top genre. Sorry to explain the joke, but we’ve definitely lost the thread recently.

I never thought I’d see the day when Superman became controversial. Above, I told people to shut off Fox News. At this point, that should just be a given. They paid out numerous fees and penalties. They admitted in a court of law that they qualify as “entertainment” and not “news”. Yet, they continue to break ratings records. Unreal.

Lately, I advocate for kicking everyone off social media for 5 years or so. Give us all time to reset our brains and interact with one another without the algorithm telling us who to hate. Yes, even rich people. Repeatedly, I talk about guillotines or wood chippers. However, if we force rich people to start interacting with poor people, things might change. Get rid of charter schools and make the rich kids come back to public school. Rezone everything for affordable housing and prevent them from owning multiple properties until everyone has a home.

See how quickly they change the rules to better fund public insitutions. Also, require people to vote. As it stands, only the crazies on the right and the centrists have a voice right now. Everyone needs to get out and give their opinions. Restore balance. Otherwise, kiss it all good-bye. We’ve seen this story and it never ends well.

The Verdict – Superman (Gunn Version) Review

The TLDR of my Superman (Gunn Version) Review: I loved it. Christine asked if it was accurate to the comics. I replied, “There’s been 700 different Superman characters, so it’s tough to say.” What I can say is that this version of Superman followed the character the most closely since the Christopher Reeve movies. We don’t need a grittier version of Superman. One, it already exists in at least three forms (Brightburn, Omni Man, and Homelander). Two, Superman represents those things; truth, justice, and a better future. For everyone.

Snap *censored* Pop Culture

Jurassic World Rebirth Review

1 Comment

Introduction

On Wednesday, Quinn, Christine, and I went to see the new entry into the Jurassic Park franchise. I heard both that it was the best movie since the first two and that it was the worst of the sequels. You all know that I like to make my own decisions about popular culture independent of the rage baiting of social media. You also know that I generally find something to enjoy about every creative project. Besides, at the beginning of the movie, I turned to Quinn and said, “32 years ago, I sat in a theater and watched the first movie.” So, the TLDR of it all is that my Jurassic World Rebirth review will be mostly positive. If you’re looking for a miserable take, look elsewhere.

Note: Ratings out of 🦖🦖🦖🦖🦖

Characters

None of them stand out on their own. They try with a variety of backstories that mostly boil down to a dead friend or colleague haunts them. And, their poverty pushes them into ever more dangerous scenarios. That’s the “professionals”, hired mercenaries to lead an expedition to collect dinosaur DNA that can potentially save millions of lives. At a price, of course. More on that in a minute or so. 🦖🦖

Hot lady mercenary, hot dude mercenary, and hot museum curator.

The movie introduces a family into the dinosaur madness. They’re apparently sailing across part of the ocean to celebrate their daughter’s graduation and acceptance into college. After and encounter with the mosasaur, they get rescued by the mission and become a side plot with some fun scenes. More on that in a bit. Their characters are slightly more fleshed out and show some growth throughout the movie and you genuinely root for them. They write them as obvious protagonists. However, you also cheer for them because you genuinely like them. 🦖🦖🦖🦖

They, too, are all impossibly good looking. I guess ugly people don’t ever have adventures.

Plot

Without giving away too much, it’s what you’d expect. I already covered some of it in the characters section, but here goes more specifics. A mercenary team along with a dinosaur expert travel to a remote area in order to retrieve living dinosaur DNA. They save a family from a dinosaur encounter. When they get to the island, the plot splits them up The mercenaries travel around to collect the samples. The movie gives us a beautiful scene with some Titanosaurus, an absolutely terrifying encounter with avian dinosaurs, and a final encounter with a butt ugly mutant that needs to be put out of its misery.

Meanwhile, the family follow in the footsteps of Grant and the kids from the first movie. More than once, I thought to myself, this is like the first movie. I mean, it makes sense because it’s the same creative team (minus Crichton), but it was still cool. They also get the obligatory T-Rex encounter that I eluded to in the last section. Small predators stalk them in an enclosed space and play no small part in the final show down. In every one of these scenarios, I wanted them to win (except for the very beginning when you are meant to hate the boyfriend).

Overall Plot: 🦖🦖

Themes

The Enshitification of Everything and the Fallout: By the time we get to this movie, people are so used to the dinosaurs that they’ve become a public nuisance. As Quinn put it when we talked about the movie after, it’s a meta commentary on social media and society as a whole. Instead of meeting the movies with awe and wonder, people now just sort of roll their eyes and crap all over the movies because “we’ve seen it all before.” I see this as an extension of the capitalists (more on them in a minute) making everything worse in the name of squeezing every last penny of profit from it. People now just naturally respond to something new with the skepticism that it’s just another ploy to get their money. 🦖🦖

I mean, this scene alone made the movie worth my time. And there are others that are just as cool.

Man vs. Nature: If I remember my high school English courses, this is one of the fundamental conflicts of fiction. Jurassic Park always revolves around this one (and man vs. man, but that’s discussed next) with the caveat that while man can momentarily overcome nature, ultimately nature will win. Its a good reminder for those who think that we can continually abuse our planet and think that there will be no repercussions for it. She’s notices and she won’t forget. 🦖🦖🦖

Science vs. Capitalism: People sometimes talk about how the science goes wrong in Crichton stories. I used to think that, too. Then, I read and argument that the science went right and that capitalism, and that search for endless profit, corrupted the science and caused it to fail. That makes so much more sense in context and they bring this argument back in a big way in this movie. Hell, one of the characters plainly brings this point up to another during a conversation. 🦖🦖🦖🦖

The Verdict (Jurassic World Rebirth Review)

I told you that, even with the minor quibbles I have with the movie, my Jurassic World Rebirth review is full of positivity. Like I said to some guy on the internet ™ on Reddit, all I want from my entertainment is to be entertained. Well, this movie entertained me. Let me know what you all thought in the comments. Maybe we can have a spirited debate. 🦖🦖🦖

Snap *censored* Pop Culture

Thunderbolts* Dad Vibes

Leave a comment

Introduction

The Thunderbolts* are many things; B-list super heros/villains/anti-heros? But, how would they stack up as Dads? So, in Thunderbolts* Dad Vibes, we aim to rate the team in five important “Dad” categories; Grill Mastery, School Pickup Reliability, DIY Skills, Dad Joke Prowess, Emotional Availability. Specifically, we hope to crown the Baddest and Daddest of them all and settle the argument that nobody else cares anything about.

Because I already told the story of how we finally got to the theater to see Thunderbolts* in a previous article, you can read there. Previously, I wrote there, the trip mirrored the dysfunction of the team quite nicely. While writing that article, I got the idea to have this one for a little more fun because I enjoyed the movie so much and the themes resonated with me on such a visceral level.

Honorable (?) Mention

Valentina Allegra de Fontaine: “Come over here and I’ll give you something to cry about!” Her unresolved trauma from her childhood drives her to want her “kids” to have better, even if that kills both her and them. I don’t agree with that style of parenting. However, you have to say that it was effective in developing the team and bringing them closer together. Sometimes all you need is a common enemy.

Taskmaster: Goes out for milk (gets shot in the head and dies, *spoiler alert*) at the beginning of the movie and never returns. Perhaps, the absentee father who makes things better by not being in the picture? While some have made that argument and I must admit that there’s some merit, the best we can do here is an incomplete.

The Rankings (1 – 4 New Balance)

Yelena Belova:

  • Grill Mastery: 👟👟Reluctantly takes the lead during the cookout.
  • School Pickup Reliability: 👟👟👟Surely, that Red Room training comes in handy for punctuality
  • DIY Skills: 👟👟👟She can break it, but she can also fix it.
  • Dad Jokes: 👟👟All that repressed trauma develops a wicked sense of humor.
  • Emotional Availability: 👟Shove them all down into that black pit in the middle of your soul

USAgent

  • Grill Mastery: 👟 👟Not great, but he’s convinced that he’s a four.
  • School Pickup Reliability: 👟Too busy reading old headlines
  • DIY Skills: 👟 👟Gets an extra for being willing to ask for help
  • Dad Jokes: 👟Thinks he’s joking. Everyone else thinks he’s an asshole
  • Emotional Availability: 👟His black pit is his entire soul right now

Bucky Barnes

  • Grill Mastery: 👟 👟 👟 You just know he knows his way around a grill.
  • School Pickup Reliability: 👟 👟 👟 👟He has the entire US military at his disposal to find you
  • DIY Skills: 👟 👟 👟Picked up a few things from Shuri
  • Dad Jokes: 👟Hydra must have rewired all the humor out of him
  • Emotional Availability: 👟 👟His time with Steve and Sam brings out his soft side now and then.

Ghost

  • Grill Mastery: 👟👟👟But you know she prefers take out
  • Schoool Pickup Reliability: 👟👟She may take an extra job and not be able to make it on time
  • DIY Skills: 👟👟👟Took it upon herself to find a way to counteract her “powers”
  • Jokes:👟She has no time for jokes
  • Emotional Availability:👟It takes everything she has in order to keep her physical being together and can’t afford feelings

Red Guardian

  • Grill Mastery:👟👟But, like Bucky, he thinks he’s a four
  • School Pickup Reliability: 👟👟👟👟He may show up with some VIPs in the limo, but he’ll be there.
  • DIY Skills: 👟👟He will fix things up only when absolutely necessary
  • Dad Jokes: 👟👟👟👟The GOAT on the team when it comes to breaking the tension
  • Emotional Availability: 👟👟👟👟Wears his heart on his sleeve and isn’t afraid to you that he loves you and Mother Russia
Note: The rankings are a conglomeration of Bob and Sentry as Void would quickly send him into negative territory and that’s unfair.

Bob/Sentry/Void

  • Grill Mastery: 👟/👟👟Bob would forget and burn everything/Sentry has better things to do
  • School Pickup Reliability: 👟👟👟/👟👟Again, Bob would forget, but take you out for ice cream/Sentry has better things to do
  • DIY Skills: 👟/👟Neither Bob nor Sentry posess the skills to fix what’s broken
  • Dad Jokes: 👟👟👟👟/👟Like Yelena, Bob funnels some of his trauma into inappropriate humor/Sentry has better things to do.
  • Emotional Availability: 👟👟👟/👟Bob tried to ignore his pain, but it bubbled to the surface in a big way. Sentry has better things to do

The Final Tally

Tied for Last: John Walker and Sentry with 👟👟👟👟👟👟👟 (7)

Fifth: Ghost with 👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟(10)

Fourth: Yelena with 👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟(11)

Third: Bob with 👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟(12)

Second: Bucky with 👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟(13)

First: No surprise, the Baddest Daddest of the team, Alexei with 👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟👟(16). His Thunderbolts* Dad Vibes are practically off the charts.

The Verdict

Hopefully you enjoyed our Father’s Day article ranking the characters by their Thunderbolts* Dad Vibes as much as we enjoyed writing it. I have a feeling some of you might disagree with our rankings of Bucky. If so, get in touch and let’s have a conversation about it! Come back next week for an epic playthrough of my Warhammer Age of Sigmar miniatures.

All appropriate copyrights to Disney and Marvel.

Digital Playground

Five Games for Summer 2025

1 Comment

Introduction

Over on Tik Tok, I posted a countdown to summer that some people enjoyed. Whatever I happen to be working on that day gets posted along with the countdown. I’ve covered Warhammer, end of the year Teacher Bingo, my water after a particularly long and hot day, and the comic book review among others. I also posted about my attempts to knock some games off my Steam nonplayed list last month. Putting those ideas together gave me the idea to write this quick article about five games for summer 2025.

Most of these games, as often happens around here, are old. I swore off new games during the Playstation 1 era. If you’re looking for the latest and greatest games, come back in about 5 years. I’m sure that I’ll get around to them by then. For now, let’s talk about the best games from the previous decade or so.

Honorable Mention

Enter the Gungeon: I tried this game a few years ago. Then, I picked it up again briefly last month for the “Steam cleaning” article. Both times, I enjoyed the game greatly. However, my skill needs some honing. Maybe I’ll take some time to do that this summer

Fallout: I played the introduction for the first four Fallout games. For whatever reason, I always put it down and never get past that initial part of the story. No better time than the summer when I have unlimited time.

Doors: I played this for the first time during my “Steam cleaning” phase last month. I liked the game so much that I think i want to use it as my first game to stream towards the end of June. The simple and laid back game play fits right in with my philosophy of gaming.

The Five

Pikmin 2: I started playing Pikmin 3 when I bought my Switch last year. I played the game when it first released on the Gamecube, but never made it very far. Playing the 3rd one inspired me to pick up the first one again and I played it through to completion. Now, on to the second one.

Red Dead Redemption 2: I loved the first game. I like it more thana the GTA series. I picked up GTA3 for my handheld emulator and that made me think of RDR. Having never played the second one, I think it’s time to remedy that.

Last of Us: I wanted to play this game, but never got the chance for some reason. We watched both seasons of the show and I enjoyed it immensely. When Aiden bought the PS5, I stumbled on the game again and downloaded it in order to play through.

Spider-Man: The main reason I wanted a Sony console was these games. All of my kids already beat the first one. Aiden beat all three and 100%’d them as well, I think. So, by the time I sit down this summer, I will have to suffer through Jefferson Davis’s death four times. Pray for me, chat.

Hades: Chris, as you know, introduced me to this game. Then, Liam bought it for me for Christmas. I played it through that Christmas break and into the year. Periodically, I pick it up again. Most recently, I tried it on the Switch Lite to see how it ported. With the second one out there, I want to finish this one.

The Verdict

These five games for summer 2025 plus the few honorable mentions are sure to keep me busy throughout the summer. For a couple of them, I can bring them to the UK with us, so I think I can actually make it happen that I play every one of them and accomplish the goals I set. Follow me on Tik Tok and YouTube to see my progress.

Snap *censored* Pop Culture

Great Good Decent May 2025

1 Comment

A Visual Guide

Following on last month’s ideas, I recorded a video for my 3 picks for Great Good Decent May 2025. Now, I present to you the visual guide for all of my picks from last month. Let me know either there or here what you agree with and what you don’t.

Great

Good

Decent

The Video

The Verdict

The end of May was crazy, so it took an extra week to get this video and article out onto the internet. But, I feel good about my Great Good Decent May 2025. Some books improved. Others lost ground. But, overall, as I’ve said more than once, this is a great time to be a comic book fan. Just in the short time that I posted on Tik Tok, I found another dude who posts about comics all the time and he’s a prety cool dude. Aiden and I have something else to talk about because he’s gotten back into comics, too.

If you want to talk comics with either of us, find us on Tik Tok, YouTube, or sometimes Instagram. I’m also here with one article a week. So, if you agree or disagree, let’s start a conversation. Like I wrote last week, though, be sure to come with some sort of intelligent remarks. I refuse to engage in ridiculous arguments about the “wokeness” of anything, especially comics. They’ve always been woke. You just grew up to be a terrible person.

Books scanned by myself, but remain the IP of Marvel, DC, Image, and IDW.

Snap *censored* Pop Culture

We (Finally) Saw Thunderbolts*

2 Comments

The Unexpected Heart Behind the Misfit Team Up

Aiden saw the movie on opening weekend. We missed it due to being busy with Wizard of Oz. However, we made plans to go as soon as possible. The plans changed from weekday to weekend, included (then uninvited) Liam’s girlfriend and Christine, and continued to push back until we finally saw Thunderbolts* yesterday evening. And, even that looked to be in some peril!

I suppose the chaos of putting together the plans aptly matches the overall vibe of the film. I don’t care much about spoilers, as you all know, so that wasn’t a consideration. But, as time wore on Liam (and even I once or twice), cried, “By the time we see this movie, it won’t even be in the theaters!” Hell, even a couple of days ago, Chris and Jason texted about playing some cards yesterday. But, I held firm and went with Liam and Quinn to see the movie.

The Team

My introduction to Thunderbolts (as many of my anti-heroes) came during the Warren Ellis run with Norman Osborne. So, when they announced the lineup, I wondered how they might build this team of second tier heroes from some of the more maligned Marvel projects.

Yelena/Black Widow: They introduced her in Black Widow, where she unquestionably stole the show. Unfortunately, Covid timing killed the vibe of the movie, but anyone who watched the movie knew that Pugh had the chops to carry a film, especially one built to her strengths.

Red Guardian: Also brought to life during Black Widow, Harbour brought the chaotic but loveable dad energy that he perfected on Stranger Things. He continues that journey in this film, acting as the fraying knot that holds this whole group together.

Bucky: A B-lister who found himself written to the A-list and then put back on the bench after Falcon and Winter Soldier, some wanted him to take up the mantle of Captain America. True to the comics, they gave it to Sam (and I don’t care what you fuckers say, that was a damn good movie) so Buck went about changing things his own way. You can see Cap’s influence on him.

USAgent/”Captain America”: A main plot to Falcon and the Winter Solider (another project that got whacked by Covid and other real life issues), USAgent shows what can go wrong when the super soldier’s flaws threaten to defeat him.

Ghost: Introduced during Quantumania (another movie I enjoyed) Ghost gets slightly more significant screen time here. But, she still takes a back seat to the other members of the team. As Yelena said, “She killed a lot of people then was killed. Just like all of us one day.”

Other Characters

Our favorite character once we finally saw Thunderbolts* has to be Bob. When I first saw the character, I thought he was Hydra Bob. Without giving too much away (yes, I will repect spoilers this time) they give him

Spoiler

Sentry

[collapse]
a much better fit with this story. Julia Louis Dreyfuss gave us quite a treat as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, the creator and de facto leader of the team. Taskmaster makes an appearance. That is all. I get it. No spoilers.

The Story

Being the Thunderbolts, these characters need to come together in a less than heroic scenario to serve a heroic purpose. de Fontaine gives them that push, bringing together Ghost, Widow, USAgent, and Taskmaster before they run into Bob. Red Guardian learns of de Fontaine’s plan and comes to the rescue. Bucky also comes to the “rescue.” And the core team forms.

Bob turns out to be more than expected and forms a bond with the members of the team. When de Fontaine twists things to her own benefit, the team starts to fall apart before they realize that they’re all they (and the world at large) have to stop what’s happening. Spoiler Alert: The “good guys” win and so, of course, does de Fontaine.

Themes

Family and the ties that bind: I often say, “family is nothing but blood.” That sometimes rubs my wife the wrong way. What I mean is basically the old, “you can choose your friends, but not your family.” Well, fuck (we’re now rated “R” for this article) that. You can absolutely choose your family. If the people you’re born with aren’t serving you, ship them and find ones that do. If your family shuns you for your identity, there are others who will welcome you. This movie functions solely on this propositiono and Red Guardian helps everyone remember that.

Community above all

Mental Illness: Depression. Bipolar disorder. Generational trauma. The movie deftly deals with all of these in a purposeful and heartfelt way. They show how these conditions steal joy from people in a very real way. They also show how genuine human connection can help fight these. However, it stops short of falling into the trap that you can “cure” yourself simply by reaching out. You also may need professional therapy and/or medication.

Politicians and political influence: Keeping with the counter culture history of comics (they’ve always been “woke”, you’re just now an idiot), government in the MCU exists solely to enrich themselves and keep the people under their thumbs. Sure, they dress it in a veneer of “helpful” or “good intentions”, but that’s all window dressing for their greed and corruption.

The Verdict (We finally saw Thunderbolts*)

As time went on, I found myself waffling a bit and willing to wait until streaming to see the movie. However, I’m now thrilled that we finally saw Thunderbolts*. Like Guardians of the Galaxy, the movie spoke to me on a deeper level than some of the others and I put it in my top 10, possibly top 5 MCU movies right now. If you get a chance and haven’t already, see the movie in the theaters. You won’t regret it.