Category Archives: Snap *censored* Pop Culture

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, 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. Unquestionably, the absentee father who makes things better by not being in the picture, perhaps? 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: 👟👟👟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.

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*

Leave a comment

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.

Snap *censored* Pop Culture

Return of the Sinister Six

Leave a comment

A 90s Time Capsule of Cheese, Charm, and Peak Fun

A few months ago, while taking inventory of my comics, I noticed that I owned some of the early 1990s Spider-Man with some big names on the cover. Think David Micheline, Erik Larsen, and yes even Uncle Todd. Several of the books stood out to me. Issues 334-339: Return of the Sinister Six.

The six part series tells the main story of how Doc Ock gets the band back together. However, Micheline jams a couple of important sub plots in between the pages of Spidey vs. his old nemeses. Let me try to explain why the old heads look back so fondly, both in spite and because of, on this era of comic books.

Part 1 (Issue 334)

In Part 1, Doc Ock visits Electro and Sandman to start the process. Meanwhile, we get a look at Pete and MJ’s relationship (more on that in a bit), Spider-Man takes on some thugs, and as you can see in the panel below, Iron Man makes a cameo. Overall, a solid introduction that, if they hadn’t spoiled it in the title, might not have you thinking that this is anything but a typical Spider-Man arc.

Part 2 (Issue 335)

Okay, now things are getting serious. Hobby (3), Shocker (4, never mind), and Mysterio (4) all join the cause. This time, there’s a Captain America cameo, Flash and Felicia are dating, and I just have to say that I love, love this version of Peter and MJ. You can have drama without constantly threatening the whole of the relationship.

Nice shorts, Flash!
Wholesome content alert.

Part 3 (Issue 336)

The Vulture (5) starts the issue working for Kingpin, but Doc Ock offers a better dental package. Return of the Sinister Six is complete Another cameo, this time by Doctor Strange. And, who the hell is Chance? They promise that someone dies in the issue and someone does. It happens in a fashion very similar to Gwen Stacy. While a minor character (at least I don’t remember him), the last panel gives it an importance and gravitas sometimes missing from modern deaths.

RIP to a real one. Oof…

Part 4 (Issue 337)

We finally get some action between Spidey and the Six. He takes them on two at a time; Hobby and Mysterio, Vulture and Sandman, and then Electro at the end. There’s also some about the Flash/Felicia sub plot, a Nova cameo (literally, just him flying across the page), and some dude who is obsessed with MJ. Literally, how much can you jam into these issue, David Micheline?

Right there on the page: WHOOOOOOSH! LMAO

Part 5 (Issue 338)

They promise us the all out knock down drag out brawl finally. But first, we need to console Aunt May, work in the cameo (Mr. Fantastic on the TV in the background while MJ exercises), someone tries to kill Peter and then Caesar threatens to kill a dude unless he sets up a meeting with MJ. 20 pages. All of this in the first half of the book. Then, we finally get to the fight. Thankfully, it’s well worth it.

I mean, this is just the first page of the fight. It gets better from here.

Part 6 (Issue 339)

The thrilling conclusion. And, no, I don’t mean that sarcastically. They resolve the MJ drama by some dude shooting Caesar. But, he’s also a damn stalker. She eventually clocks him upside the head with her purse to escape. Meanwhile, there’s a satellite that will poison the planet if they don’t give in to Doc Ock’s demands of being rulers. Spider-Man faces off against the head honcho and then asks Thor to come help with the satellite. Old Thunder God takes care of it and, as you’ll see in a minute, we get the typical Spidey “happily ever after.”

Overall (Return of the Sinister Six)

These books have everything you expect from the 1990’s era Marvel. The sometimes overblown writing. Made me laugh that Micheline gave us that heart wrenching ending to part 3 and couldn’t help himself to go a bit overboard in the very next issue. Also, the beginning with the “electricity is his god, his drug, his reason to be” line? A bit much.

And, the art. It’s gorgeous, but the cliches you know from the 90s exist for a reason. What the hell is that early 90’s MJ? And Flash’s shorts in that one panel? Plus, the MJ in a full split in one panel and the outfit she wore to meet Caesar. All of it is just so delightfully chaotic. Some of this might not sound like my usual positive self. But, trust me, I say all of this with love. Every so often I pine for the simpler days of the 90s and the wild and crazy comics they brought us then.

Return of the Sinister Six brought me back to the days of riding my bike up the street to the comic book store. Walking along the racks looking for my favorites and trying to find some new ones. I gave you a peek into my 90s comics love with a tribute to Uncle Todd last month. I wanted to take another trip back to show that it’s not just a one time thing. It’s a way of life.

Thanks to mighty Marvel for bringing Spider-Man to life.

Snap *censored* Pop Culture

Great Good Decent April 2025

Leave a comment

A Visual Guide

I finally realized my dream of recording and posting a video review of the comics for the month in Great, Good, Decent April 2025. Since I don’t want to neglect the web page, I came up with the idea for a visual gude here. Plus, with cross promotion, I can include a link to the video and the actual video below. Enjoy

Great

Good

Decent

The Video

The Verdict

What do you think of my great good decent April 2025? Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments or in the comments of the video. I’d love to have a conversation. When given the opportunity, I’ll gladly defend my selections that aren’t explained in the video or on Instagram or Tik Tok.

It’s one of the things that makes comics enjoyable for me. What one person likes, another might not and vice versa. As long as we are having an interesting and intelligent dialogue, I’m happy to engage. When people start screaming about “woke” this or “Mary Sue” that, that’s when I pack up my opinons and go home. Because, at that point, it’s clear that you aren’t interested in having a conversation and anything said will fall on deaf ears. Okay, glad to get that off my chest.

Snap *censored* Pop Culture

Creator Spotlight: Todd McFarlane

1 Comment

Introduction

Subtitle: The Rebel Who Changed Comics Forever. I planned this article a couple months ago. However, at that time I concentrated too heavily on the articles (which take some time to write) and failed as a result. Since focusing more on Tik Tok (the last two videos are downright viral!) and focusing on only one article a month, I think I can bring the page back from the dead. So, we launch this new feature with Creator Spotlight: Todd McFarlane.

Love him or hate him, McFarlane is like punk rock of comic creators. We tip our hand pretty heavily here when it comes to the old man. Affectionately known as Uncle Todd, we fall firmly in the “love” category. While not everything he touches is gold, he (in the words of wise sage Fred Durst) did it his way. His career is a masterclass in balancing artistic rebellion and business savvy to build an empire from the ashes of his former life.

Early Days: Pushing Marvel’s Limits

Many of us know that McFarlane got his big break at Marvel. Joining David Michelinie on Amazing Spider-Man, he brought a new style to the character that influenced generations of artists. His work on the cover of ASM #300 alone probably launched the careers of dozens of comic book artists.

Younger readers out there probably recognize the black costume from the Venom movies. Maybe, if you played the video games, you saw a version of the costume there. Yes, it’s true. Uncle Todd helped design the black suit and co-created the character of Venom. That led to several spin off characters, most notably Carnage. He also received the go ahead to write and illustrate his own Spider-Man title.

Image Comics: His Own Way

Frustrated by how Marvel and DC treated their creatives and their creations, he and several other giants at the time broke off and created their own label, Image Comics. Uncle Todd, for his book under the new label, created a character that looked very much like Spider-Man. However, Spawn dealt with much more “adult” issues than Marvel or DC ever touched in the past.

Spawn tells the story of a military man sent back from hell with a symbiote suit (sound familiar?) and powers to help Hell fight battles against Heaven on Earth. Simmons also uses his new found status to right some wrongs along the way. The comic sold 1.7 million issues, a record for a creator owned comic at the time. I, myself, bought the issue thrice. It’s a long story that I told more than once, so I will spare you this time. It wasn’t all wine and roses for the Image crew. Critics called the books the ultimate “style over substance” but rebellious teenagers like me didn’t give a shit what those stuffy dudes thought. I, for one, still don’t.

The McFarlane Legacy: Triumphs and Tensions

Unwilling to rest on his laurels, Uncle Todd spun his comics off into an action figure line. The accuracy and attention to detail also changed the way that action figures are made. Spawn also enjoyed success on the small, with an HBO animated series, and big, with a theater released movie, screens. Maybe success is pushing it some with regards to the movie. While decent, it suffered during a time before Disney and Marvel redefined comic book movies. To his credit, another movie under the Blumhouse label looks to improve on that misstep.

Speaking of missteps, Uncle Todd experienced his share of them. In addition to the fight over the creation of Venom, he also fought against Neil Gaiman for the rights to certain characters. Though, to be honest, now that Gaiman has been exposes as a sex pest, McFarlane maybe dodged a bullet there.

Why Uncle Todd Continues to Matter Today

Image Comics released some of my favorite books. Titles like The Maxx, Pitt, and Spawn continue to entertain me even today. My son loves Invincible. The Walking Dead spawned an entire cinematic universe unto itself. It feels weird calling Image books independent because of the vast range of titles and popularity. However, they remain true to their vision of allowing creators to retain all rights to their creations.

I just mentioned the reboot of the movie with Blumhouse as the distributor. I know people hated their Halloween movies, but I enjoyed them (yes, even Ends), so if it ever happens, I hold out hope they’ll do it justice. His toy line continues to expand with every new IP and retains the reputation for quality. Hey, you know me. I Stan for my heroes and Uncle Todd lives in that space.

The Verdict

I leave it to you, the fans, to decide. I presented the case in this Creator Spotlight: Todd McFarlane. What say you? Uncle Todd: Visionary or Stubborn Relic? If it’s the former, vote below. If the latter, let me know why in the comments.

2
Creator Spotlight: Todd McFarlane

Uncle Todd's Most Lasting Contribution

Snap *censored* Pop Culture

TMNT 6 and 7

Leave a comment

Illuminating Indie Books: Introduction

So far, so good. In the last post, I mentioned how I’ve been working to get the web page back on track. I also put together and posted some reels for Instagram and TikTok over the last couple of days. I’m still not at 100%, but better than recent weeks. Plus, comics week also is historically one of the busiest, so silly to start with this. In any case, TMNT 6 and 7 continues the Jason Aaron era.

When I first read about Aaron taking over our heroes in the half shell, I wondered how his style would work with the book. Over the previous 150 issues, plus ties in like the ones for the Armageddon story, the turtles and their allies focused on the outsider status of the mutants. That makes sense when you consider the writer. I like Aaron, for the most part, but thought it might be too much of a shift. So far, so good.

Writer: Jason Aaron, Artist: Juan Ferreyra
Writer: Jason Aaron, Artist: Juan Ferreyra

Synopsis

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 6: The turtles are back together and back in New York City. They’re not quite at the well oiled machine with some bickering and in fighting. But, they’re together enough to take care of a gang of foot soldiers. Before switching to April’s visit to Casey Jones after his ambush, they cut to an ambush on the turtles. The boys survive that one, too, fight among themselves again, and wind up in the spotlight of a helicopter spotlight in the middle of Times Square. Things look bleak.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 7: The turtles are only one while they’re fighting right now. This issue gives them plenty of chance to do that. They fight their way out of the pickle they found themselves in at the end of the previous issue. They take to the sewers to regroup and find their mojo. What fixes everything in turtle world? Pizza. Not this time, though. The thugs also come after April. She handles herself. Splinter’s influence is felt. The turtles get the upperhand at the end of the issue. Things no longer look bleak.

The Great, The Good, and the Decent (TLDR)

Decent: At the risk of cannibalizing the next section, the art is a bit off for me in TMNT 6 and 7. The turtles look too thin. The colors are too washed out. Then, other times, the art just pops (see my picks for the art this time around). It takes me out of the fiction some.

Good: The consistency and strength of this title to endure such a drastic change in tone speaks well of Kevin Eastman. Sure, the turtles are his baby, but after running the property for over 40 years, things are bound to get stale. With Spawn, for instance, up until a year and a half ago, I felt like reading the various titles felt more like a chore than enjoyment. Maybe I just missed the stale part of TMNT since I only recently started reading again.

Great: Like I said up above, Aaron took the turtles and made them his own. It sometimes takes me time to adjust to new teams, as with the art this time and on Incredible Hulk during PKJ’s tenure. Also, I haven’t quite gotten on board with Al Ewing’s Thor just yet. But, I embraced Aaron’s shift from issue 1. I’m on board. Read below for more.

Art and Writing

I said earlier that the inconsistency of the art takes me out of the fiction some. It’s not a huge deal. But, I found myself doing a double take on a couple of the scenes because they just looked weird. In spite of that, the art worked with the writing well to help to tell the story. When you look at the pages I picked as my favorites this time around, you see what I mean. The first two come from issue 6 and they look like still images from the cartoon or video games. Vintage turtles. Same with the left hand image from issue 7. The right image from issue 7 shows how the comic medium allows them to try new things. I’m not saying they couldn’t do something like that in the cartoon. Just that I don’t know if it has the same impact as the simplicity of this comic page.

Jason Aaron is, generally, one of my favorite comic writers. Unlike some other writers, I don’t like everything he’s done. I didn’t think he was a good fit for Thor. I also initially went back and forth with Chris about whether or not his tone would fit with the Ninja Turtles. But, he made a smart decision. Instead of dealing with the team as a cohesive unit from the beginning, he broke the beginning of the story into four and told it from the vantage point of each of the turtles. Even now, they don’t work as a fully formed team, so it gives him the chance to do what he does best and work out those issues on the page. No idea how long the Aaron era will last on TMNT, but I’m in it for the long haul now.

The Verdict

Aaron has me hooked on the turtles in a completely different way from Sophie Campbell’s story. Both tell completely different stories effectively. I know I sound like a broken record a tthis point, but I can’t help it. I applaud Kevin Eastman for taking such good care of the turtles all these years. TMNT 6 and 7 keep the good times rolling. I look forward to another couple of decades of great stories to come.

Visit Kevin Eastman for all things turtles.

Snap *censored* Pop Culture

Amazing Spider-Man 67 and 68

1 Comment

Superhero Showcase Sunday: Introduction

Long time, no read! I’ve been working to get the web page back on track, including discussing things with my new best friend, Deepseek AI. I can’t promise that the schedule we put together is sustainable over the long haul, but I hit both of my deadlines so far. Now, to make the load more manageable here, I decided to focus on one or two comics and give my other reviews as quick videos on Instagram and Facebook. Then, at the end of the week, I can tie it all together with a longer YouTube dive into the books. Keep reading for my thoughts on Amazing Spider-Man 67 and 68.

The two issues (Legacy 961 and 962) continue the “8 Deaths of Spider-Man story line. They set up for a finish and the next rebooted numbering that starts with Legacy 965, I believe. After a rough patch with Zeb Wells writing, I feel like the old Web-Head is back in good hands and it gives me hope for the future of the title.

Writer: Jutina Ireland, Artist: Andrea Broccardo
Writer: Jutina Ireland, Artist: Andrea Broccardo

Synopsis

Amazing Spider-Man 67 – Peter and Felicia deal with an “about last night” morning by not dealing with it at all. Meanwhile, Cyclops’ X-Men fight with one of the scions of Cyttorak. A stalemate until Juggs shows up and brings his own power of Cyttorak with him. Strange comes to visit Peter and fills him in on everything that’s happened and why Peter needs to intervene. In spite of the dire consequences, Peter blows him off. Cyra, too, pleads with him to help stop the carnage. Another scion rises from the ashes of the defeat of the last. She cries at the death he already caused and what is yet to come.

Amazing Spider-Man 68 – Cyra shows Peter the death at the hands of the new scion. Near total, including those close to Peter. He has another of his usual come to Jesus moments (most likely because

Spoiler

Aunt May is one of the ones who died

[collapse]
) and gives and offering to reverse the damage. He also once again dons the armor of Strange and rejoins the fight. During the fight, Cyra rescues him and takes him to her father’s domain. The blight causes those on Earth to suffer soul rot. They need to fight the blight at its source. That doesn’t end well.

The Great, The Good, and the Decent (TLDR)

Decent: The story just works. Not great, not bad. Just good enough to keep me reading and interested. But, nothing I will remember years from now like Planet Hulk. Plus, it still suffers a bit too much from the hocus pocus. I’m not used to Spidey being involved in such magical adventures. Hopefully, the new story backs off from that some.

Good: I like the art for the action sequences. Other than one major reveal (possibly planned?), the drama in issue 68 underwhelms. Issue 67, however, delivers some personal scenes that illustrate just how much this affects different heroes on a different level.

Great: After the insanity of Zeb Wells, I welcome a more traditional Spider-Man era. I know they can’t just go from one to the other and this story line provided an excellent bridge between the new and the next. For that alone, I respect Ireland’s efforts and thank her for doing her part to return Spidey to me.

Art and Writing

The art in issue 67 strikes a good balance between action and dramatic scenes. During the battle between the X-Men and the scion, the fighters practically jump off of the page. Then, during the sequences when both Strange and Cyra speak to Peter, you can feel the tension and disappointment that both feel when Peter turns them down. The story is interesting, but the writing brings nothing new to the table. The dialogue gets the job done, but that’s about it.

Issue 67 deals more with action initially, trying to bring the battle against the latest scion to an end. That action continues through the end of the book. As a result, the artist gives us a few of the leaping into battle panels from both the front and the back. This time, the dramatic panels lack the impact of the previous issue. They try to make it more dramatic by giving it world changing ramifications. But, it doesn’t quite reach the same gravitas of the personal pleas from Strange and Cyra. Maybe the writing has something to do with it. Again, it follows the formula to perfection. But, it doesn’t do any more to push the issue as different or special. After the mess of Zeb Wells, I’ll take what I can get. Plus, at the end of the book, the art does the heavy lifting on one heck of a twist at the end. Yes, pun intended.

Those are my favorite pages from the books, art wise. I’ll put the one that contains a pretty massive spoiler at the end of the article.

The Verdict

Amazing Spider-Man 67 and 68 won’t go down as two of the more memorable issues. Not even of recent memory. But, I will remember this era of Spider-Man as the one that returned some semblance of normalcy to my favorite Marvel comic book hero. I look forward to what Joe Kelly brings next and bid Zeb Wells a fond adieu.

Images taken from Marvel and scanned via my phone.

Spoiler Image

Spoiler

[collapse]
Snap *censored* Pop Culture

Nerds Are the Worst

Leave a comment

Introduction

Alternate Title: Why Do We Always Hate What We Love? For years, I talked about how Star Wars nerds are the worst. They regularly shit on everything Star Wars related for nearly three decades. The prequels, the sequels, now the various Disney+ projects. It has been exhausting. I just stopped reading and listening so that I could enjoy them in peace.

I repeated the refrain, “Ever since nerd culture became pop culture, nerds feel emboldened to bully one another and the rest of society.” Sure enough, the sickness spread to comic fans who continually scream about “woke” this and “reboots” that. It took a while, but now the cinematic versions of the comics are also falling victim to the sickness. Look, I get that our perpetually online society thrives on division and “controversy”, but can we just have one aspect of our lives that gives us respite from that stupidity? Apparently not. Oh well, let’s start with some of the most recent examples and work backwards. See if we can find a common thread and a way to counteract it.

MCU/DCU

Warner Bros. hired James Gunn away from Marvel after Guardians of the Galaxy 3 to help them rescue their movies and TV shows and try to put them on the same level as Marvel. He announced a roadmap and that much of what happened before wasn’t a part of it. This irritated the so called “Snyderbots” who showed up to attack the first trailer for Superman. Sight unseen with no concrete evidence, they proclaimed that the film would flop and kill DC off forever from ever making movies or TV shows again. You might argue that’s just a small portion of the audience and that their influence isn’t all that great. If it was, Zack Snyder would have been hired back to patch everything together. Seems easier than rebooting everything again.

On the side of the MCU, things are more murky. They genuinely burned some good will by taking short cuts in movies and TV shows like Quantumania and Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Admittedly, some of that happened due to COVID and tight schedules, but nevertheless it happened. Hell, Deadpool himself asked them to cut their losses on the Multiverse, even as he multiverse hopped to save his own. More recently, I’ve seen the hate from the comic book fans infest the new Captain America movie.

I have some hope because on Rotten Tomatoes, the fans are giving it decent ratings. It’s mostly just the critics that don’t like the movie. And you know what we say about critics around here. Those that can, do. Those that cant, enjoy. And those that can’t even do that become critics. For my money, I intend to go and enjoy what I can with the movie. I already have it on good authority that I will like it.

Comics

I got an inkling of the nerd hate during the Marvel Now (I think?) era when they tried to reboot the universe with new characters in their iconic roles. Riri as Iron Heart, Jane Foster as Thor (oh boy, did the manosphere have a field day with that one), and Sam Wilson as Captain America. I joined the Sam Wilson reign during Secret Empire. I loved what they did with the character. Then again, I enjoyed the hell out of Secret Empire. You can find several articles around here about the story.

One of the main arguments nerds made at the time was, “Why redefine already defined characters? Why not come up with new characters?” They almost immediately showed their asses on that argument though, when they crapped on Riri’s character. Okay, fine, while technically a new character, you can make the argument that she shared many commonalities with Iron Man and they intended to replace him with her.

Then, along came Kahhori. Not only was she a completely new character, but they initially made her exclusive to the MCU. One of the episodes of the first season of “What If?”, Kahhori led her people to a successful revolt and overthrow of the colonizers in early America. I mean, hell, if you’re gonna go for it, go for it. Not surprisingly, the mayosapiens were not a fan of this particular origin story. So, yeah, I wonder why they have a problem with Sam Wilson as Cap.

Star Wars

Oh, wow! A new Star Wars movie! How cool is this? Plus, it’s the start of a trilogy that tells the fall and rise of Vader. That’s super cool, right? No, apparently not. As I tell my kids often when they watch the movies (they are Star Wars to them, so they like them best), when the movies first released, Star Wars nerds are the worst of all. They treated them and George Lucas so badly that he told them to fuck off and sold to Disney.

I loved The Phantom Menace. I liked Attack of the Clones fine. And, yes, I remember Revenge of the Sith mostly for the last ten minutes or so of nerdgasm in seeing the rise of Vader. But, watching them again with the kids brought a new appreciation for the movies. Then, when the new trilogy came out, I watched it with them and my father in law. So, nothing people can say will diminish my enjoyment of the movies or the television shows.

The Verdict

Hopefully I made the case that nerds are the worst. I wanted to include video games here. However, this reads like my old thousand word missives from a few years ago. Maybe I will write another article in a couple of months with video games and some of the other instances of nerd on nerd violence. YouTube video hopefully tomorrow.

Snap *censored* Pop Culture

Betting the Bowl LIX Post Mortem

Leave a comment

Introduction

I kept the short 3 year (so far) tradition of posting my picks for the Big Game on the page. Through reaction on social media (a bit more on that in a moment) and through discussions with one of my coworkers who also places the occasional wager, I’m not alone in saying that I didn’t do too well with my picks. But, this Betting the Bowl LIX Post Mortem is about the positive. Beside, I actually ended up making money both here and with my actual bets. So, I stand by my saying, “I have no idea how people lose money betting.”

Now, about social media for a few minutes. In another annual tradition, angry white folks got their mayonnaise in a froth over the halftime show this year. I’ve seen several click bait bullshit headlines about how it’s the “worst ever” and the NFL issued an “apology”. I will waste no time debunking either of those because Brandolini was right. I will simply go on record of saying that I liked it. I like it more the more that I watch it and see what I missed.

The Damage

I, like almost everyone, got it wrong about the game. However, as I said, I still made money on the game. I realized very early that my Chiefs pick wouldn’t pan out and I immediately hedged with the Eagles/Over 46.5 Total parlay. I sweated out the over portion, even thinking that the missed two points might come back to haunt me because another FG put it at 46. Granted, it was in the 3rd and I also hoped for some garbage time. But, for a minute there, I cringed.

Now, for the positive. What I got right. I had Hurts for first TD. That returns 0.65 cents. Also, playing both sides of the fence got me the Eagles win and Hurts MVP. That is a 0.95 cent payout. So, I bet 1 dollar and got 1.60 return. That puts me slightly below my hopes of 3 and way below the moon shot of 3.50. But, considering the carnage, I’ll take it.

The Verdict

No point talking bout the penny parlay in this Betting the Bowl LIX Post Mortem. Almost nothing hit and it was DoA, much like the Chiefs. So, another NFL season in the books. A stinker of a game made me nostalgic for my youth. Now, onto the draft and the eternal hope that the league sells its fans.