90s Comic Boom and why did Valiant Comics fail to expand into other media

 Oh we all remember the 90s comic boom. From 90 until 96 or 97 comic books were hot. Some of the best selling comics of all time are from that era. That Death of Superman comic that everybody bought  thinking it would be worth big bucks...it is from this era.

What also happened is for the first time really since the 70s companies besides Marvel and DC managed to created shared superhero universes that not only succeeded but almost all of them got chances to put out movies/tv shows/cartoons/video games and/or toys. 

For years I have wondered why stuff like Ultraverse,Comics Greatest World and Image managed to get other media,but Valiant(who were huge for a good chunk of this era) got no other media to many years after the comic boom era.

Now sure most remember that for Image you had that 1 season CBS aired Saturday Morning WildCats cartoon. Which isn't bad. And quite a few remember that MTV aired The Maxx cartoon,that got what 2 seasons? Savage Dragon even had a 2 season long cartoon on USA Network. Then the big one Spawn... Spawn had the HBO cartoon that was 3 seasons. Then the live action movie. Then after 97 Image had blown up. From hits that everyone knows like The Walking Dead and Invincible. To the forgotten stuff like the live action Witchblade tv show.

Plus Image had action figures,Not just the stuff from Todd. There was Cyberforce mini metal figures and IIRC Youngblood had those plus some bendies.

Ultraverse had the UltraForce cartoon,that I think aired on USA Network. Which also had a toyline. Plus there was a Prime Sega CD game. But how many remember that Nightman got a 2 season live action syndicated drama show? Yea Nightman had a tv show. That supposedly did well in ratings but was cancelled cause Marvel bought Malibu,parent corp of Ultraverse,and canned the show ot save money.

Now I am sure a few of yall are going ok asshat what is Comic's Greatest World's other media? Hell a few are trying to remember Comic's Greatest World. 

It was a Dark Horse imprint. Started off with a weekly mini series. Each issue was a buck. 12 issues total. With each month focuses on one city in this world. 

CGW was kind of a bust. Sure a few of the heroes introduced in that first mini series went on to have their own series. X and Ghost are two that did that and are even still used off and on by Dark Horse. But who remembers Barb Wire? Blonde bounty hunter lady that rides a motorcycle. Lives in Steel Harbor,a run down industrial town now full of street gangs with super powers. Ok yea a few of yall remember her. 

How many remember there was a big budget Barb Wire movie? One that was expected to be a huge hit.  Costing 9 million to make the film made a tiny bit under 4 million.

Why was this expected to be a big hit? Coming out almost 3 years after Barb Wire first appeared. Coming out when the Barb Wire solo comic was already cancelled. Cause as Barb Wire Pamela Anderson was cast. And in 96 she was a huge star.

So Valiant. Odd they never went outside of comics until after they were sold to a video game company. As far as I can find there is no Valiant cartoons,toys,movies,pretty much anything that aint trading cards,posters,comics and the Armstrong Ale.

No real idea why. Valiant was ran ,after booting Jim Shooter,by a guy with ties to the music industry. And at their peak a Valiant cartoon or toy line would have sold pretty good. A X-O Manowar video game would have been a hit. 

But nothing. Nothing at all until Acclaim took over. And there is piles of people that only know of Turok cause of the N64 games.

Well hope yall enjoyed that. Was just something going thru my head for months now. 

re was I in March?!?!?!

 Normally I make sure there is at least one thing up on the old blog here every month. March was different. 

Yall that been reading this blog long enough will remember how I use to do long written reviews for the indie wrestling shows I was going to and taking pictures/shooting video.

Most months I hit up at least 1 show and sometimes 2 or 3. December was no shows,January no shows,Feb no shows. Then March. First Saturday in  March was BIW in the nearest town to me. Was a fun show.Second Saturday in March I rode down to Ocean Spring MS for a AWA Pro show. First time going to AWA pro and had fun. 3rd Saturday was BIW again but this time in West Monroe LA for hte Cassidey Riley Retirement show. Then the 4th Saturday in the month was Richland MS for night 2 of Battlezone's Widowfest event. Followed up the following Thursday with SWA in Summitt Mississippi.

And it wasn't just the wrestling that kept me busy. I take care of my elderly parents. 

March 1st Dad went into the hospital to have his heart valve replaced. March 2nd they installed a pacemaker. Released him the next day. The day after being released he went to the BIW event I mentioned in the near by town. Sunday he slept in felt great.

1am Monday he woke up feeling ill. At 5am I rushed him to the nearby hospital. Where after 2 hours they took him to the bigger hospital north of us. A few days lateer they removed his gall bladder. He is 79 this fall and had 3 surgeries in 9 days. 

Normally he takes care of cooking dinner and a few other  things around the house. For most of March I did everything. 

Now Dad is healed up now. Matter of fact that SWA event I mentioned He attended that one and had a blast.

I will try to have something else up here in April. 

Hell-Rider Issue #1 70s wacky b/w biker comics from Skywald

 

TITLE-Hell Rider issue #01

PUBLISHER-Skywald

Look at that cover! If I had seen that cover when it came out I am sure I would have  spent the 60 cents it was priced at. But I wasn't even born when this title came out.

Bit of history,Skywald was one of the many companies that in the 70s tried to take the success Warren had with Creepy,Eerie and Vampi and make their own  series of magazine sized,b/w art comics. Stuff that cause of the size of the publication fell outside the tight regulations of the Comics Code Authority. Skywald is best remembered for their 3 horror mags,Scream/Nightmare/Psycho. 

In 71 Skywald published the first of what was a 2 issue run for Hell-Rider. And like all the other magazine sized Skywald comics Hell-Rider wasn't properly copyrighted. I think they didn't the proper notice in the published comics,but no matter what the issue is it means all those Skywald b/w magazines are public domain. So you can goto places like comicbookplus and download legally scans of all the Skywald stuff. Also means a company like Gwandanaland Comics can  published a TPB collecting both issues. While I am using jpgs from the scan of Hell-Rider issue 1 I got from Comicbookplus for this review,I read the TPB that I got almost 3 years ago. Back when Gwandanaland published all their TPB and hardcover collections of Public Domain comics through Amazon's print on demand service. Something happened in 2022,near the end of the year,and Gwandanaland left Amazon and is now selling their stuff through Barnes&Noble online. So if you are interested in Hell-Rider 1 you can either go download the scan LEGALLY FOR FREE at Comicbookplus. Or if you want a physical copy google "Gwandanaland Comics"+"Hell Rider" that should get you to the proper page at the B&N website.

Who is Hell Rider? He is just your average child of a well off family.  Our titular lead doesn't want to work for his father. So he takes some inheritance and moves to the west coast. While there in a rough bar Hell Rider meets a group of bikers known as the Wild Bunch. Once he impresses the Wild Bunch,Hell Rider buys a motorcycle and lives the life of a biker for a bit.

Brick ,Hell Rider's real name,gets drafted and goes for a tour in Nam.After being injured in the Vietnam War our lead gets injected with an experimental drug. Every day for a year  Hell Rider gets shot up with this drug then spends most of his day working out. 

Brick has gained super strength and other abilities from this drug. What other abilities are not really spelled out in this first issue. And we learn that Hell Rider's powers can just fade out without a warning. They always come back after some time. 

Like how this is to show us that while Brick isn't a total clean cut hero like we were use to in comics back in the early 70s,he was still a good dude. Plus love how that last panel looks. Tempted to take that panel and use it for some art projects I am working on.

Reconnecting with a friend in the music business,Brick waits as she goes back to her dressing room at a club. Where she finds our bad guys, in black hoods with metal claws,trying to get a pair of boots the singer owns.  The Claw gang wants these boots cause between the inside lining of the boots is a pile of heroin.The lady singer has sent the boots to her friend,Marian Michaels who works in Las Vegas.

I want to point out that there is a lot of drug references in this comic. Proving that it wouldn't have gotten that CCA stamp on the cover. Also a few times in the comic a drug like pot isn't as demonized as a harder drug like Heroin is.

Brick on his chopper follows the Claw gang as they leave with his singer friend. He thinks he is being sneaky. He isn't and takes a gun butt to the back of the head and is knocked out. Waking up the next morning to find his friend gone and a note.

With the first chapter in this comic done we see the birth of Hell-Rider. 

Chapter 2 introduces us to The Butterfly. Now I might be wrong on this. The research I have done seems to prove my theory about The Butterfly being the first Black female superhero to be true.

The Butterfly is really Las Vegas singer Marian Michaels. Marian finishes her song and the crowd loves it. 

Back in her dressing room our old friends The Claw gang are there. Looking for the boots from chapter 1.

Ms Michaels gets past the Claw hoods,and flips the light switch. Filling the room with darkness. So she  can changed into her Butterfly outfit. Which she uses to blind the Claw Gang. From what the Butterfly says I am guessing her suit can make a  light so bright it will cause permanent blindness.

The Claw Gang leaves with the boots. And Butterfly flies after them. We learn that she flies thanks to a rocket on her back. Noticing her fuel is low,and as a way to intro another of her abilities,Butterfly swoops in low and with the suction cups on the tips of each finger attaches herself to the roof of the Claw Gang's getaway car.

With not much fuel Butterfly has to decide if she will follow the helicopter or make it back to Las Vegas. She  decides to follow the chopper.

Yea low on fuel she fights her way into the chopper. To try to get these boots back.

Butterfly beats up the Claw Gang,gets her boots back and leaves a message with the chopper pilot. 

She tries to fly back to Vegas but runs out of fuel. Safely landing. Marian thankfully had stored her stage clothes in her pack. She changes back into them and wonders if there will be anyone on this lonely desert road that will give her a ride back to Las Vegas.

The Wild Bunch biker gang from the first chapter appear again. They want to see their friend Marian. She is gone. With her missing they are heading to see their friend Brick. And who do the Bunch find on the side of the road Butterfly aka Marian. The lady member of the Wild Bunch takes Marian and heads back to Vegas. While the rest of the gang take the boots and head off to Brick's home. End of Chapter 2.

Chapter 3 starts off with that great splash page of the Wild Bunch in a big fight. That splash and the next  2 pages lets us know a bit about each member of the gang. Then we cut to present time. Wild Bunch is  heading from Vegas to LA. Tasked with safely bringing the boots to Brick aka Hell-Rider.

The guys pull over to the side of the road for a quick rest. A big black fancy car passes them and cut to the inside of the car. Guess who is in the back seat? The leader of the Claw Gang. And the leader happens to notice that on the back of one of the Wild Bunch's bikes is the boots that the Claw Gang wants to badly. So the car stops and we get a big brawl between Claw thugs and the Wild bunch.

Yep the leader of the Claw gang has an extending metal cyborg arm. Which is limited to 6 feet!! And for what feels like the 100th time in this comic those blasted boots change hands. 

The Wild Bunch catches up with the car and stops it. But the leader calls in for backup and a pile of helicopters show up. They drop a big net and every Wild Bunch member,besides Slinker,gets caught  in the net. Slinker on the other hand gets the boots and hauls ass.

Now on his own  Slinker heads back to Vegas to bring the boots back to Marian. The  rest of the male members of the Wild Bunch are held on the Claw Compound and chapter 3 ends.

Chapter 4 starts with Hell-Rider regaining his super strength. Escaping from the cell the Claw put him into in Chapter 1.

Brick not only kicks the Claw thugs asses but he helps his singer friend escape. But it might be too late. The Claw already shot her up with heroin. Hell-Rider puts her on his bike and rushes to the nearest hospital.

Slinker gets back to Vegas. Brings the boots and the female Wild Bunch member finds the heroin hidden in the boots.

The three Wild Bunch members being held captive at the Claw Compound get free,find their  bikes and notice the compound is on a plateau.  So we get a big bike jump from the Plateau to freedom.

They manage to escape. The Claw leader is now in Vegas about to kill Slinker,Butterfly and the female member of the Wild Bunch. But Hell-Rider uses his amazing bike riding skills a 2x4 that is just laying around and I am guessing the biggest thing was the writer realized he had almost no pages left so had to wrap this up fast,and HELL RIDER takes his motorcycle and goes up the side of the building and in through a window. Stopping the evil Claw leader.

And the evil hooded leader of the Claw gang is unmasked. Revealed to be Hell-Rider's uncle. The end.

Wow that was a nutty comic. After finishing it I wondered if maybe Hell-Rider was Skywald's rip off of Ghost Rider from Marvel. Nope Hell-Rider appeared a few years before Ghost Rider.

The art is pretty good. The story is wacky and full of just insanity. And I loved it. 

Final Faction First Impact issue #1

Back in 2020 I started hearing that the Dollar Tree chain had it's own line of action figures. 

Final Faction is this toylines name. And for a buck,recently raised to $1.25,you could get a figure or a weapons pack or even a vehicle for this Sci Fi/Action toy line.There is even a cartoon,search for Fatal Faction on Youtube.

I have picked up a few of the figures. They look cool. And if I ever saw the vehicles in  a store I would grab a few. 

Earlier this week was in a Dollar Tree not near me. Was looking at the books and saw a stack of comics in a bag. And learned Fatal Faction now has a monthly comic!

For under 2 bucks you get a 20 page comic. No ads. And the comic ain't bad. 

That is an interior page from about halfway through the comic. As you can see the art ain't bad.

Then there is the back cover showing what to expect in March with issue  2.

Now the plot. Well we are 30 years in the future. And learn that what we thought was the moon was an alien ship that got covered with dirt. Kharn is the aliens  on the moon. They are awake and want to pillage the Earth for all it's resources.

Yea not anything new. But this is a comic based on a cheap toy line. Which is made for a store known for selling stuff for a buck or less.

The comic comes in a resealable poly bag. Looking  online seems most people are finding these mixed in with the coloring books.

So Final Faction First Impact Issue#1 gets an C+ for art and a C+ for story. But over all I give it a B-. I love it when any store has comics. More comics in stores improves the chances of kids getting into comics.

QT Tuesday&Thursday Worst to First 3 of 10

 

The Hateful Eight

2015

Pretty sure this is the QT film I have seen the least amount of times. 

First viewing was when Xmas day 2015 when a screener of the Roadshow edit leaked. I got it. Watched it and thought it was decent but nothing special.

Later when the Extended edition,which is 4 episodes,appeared on Netflix over the course of 2 nights watched it and still it was decent.

I like the idea behind the film. People trapped in a place. Not sure who to trust. Not sure what will happen or if they will live through the night.

I like the cast. So many great actors and all that. Even a surprising good job from Channing Tatum.

But in the two cuts I have seen all these great parts do not add up to a great movie.

Not sure what else to say about this. It is worth seeing,I prefer the extended cut. But it is one I don't mind that I missed it in a theater.

QT Tuesdays&Thrsdays Worst to First 2 of 10

 

9-Kill Bill Volume 2

April 2004

Ok yea some will argue that Kill Bill vol 1 and 2 was meant to be one film. So it should count as 1 film. It was released as 2 films so I count it as 2.

Back when this came out a good buddy ran the theater in a near by mall. And if I went during say the middle of the day on a Tuesday usually he wouldn't charge me for a ticket asking me if instead of payin for a ticket I would buy a drink or a snack. But heey movie theaters make most of their money off the drinks and snacks.

The weekend Kill Bill vol 2 came out I had bought the first volume on DVD. We had not that long before this gotten a new tv. I 48 inch plasma tv. Invited over a few friends and we sat there watching Vol 1. All of us planning on going later the next  week. to see the movie for free.

The following Tuesday Chili Cheese Fries Chris and I were the only ones off work that day. After being asked if I minded driving  I  went picked up Chris head to the theater. And good news buddy was there manning the ticket booth. Got our free tickets then each bought a large drink and a popcorn. 

Sit down and Chili Cheese Fries Chris is slurping down his drink fast. Sure we got free refills on soda and popcorn  but QT movies are long films so you dont want a full bladder while watching one,as I learned with a movie that is further up this list.  CCF Chris then pulls a tiny bottle of Crown Royal out of his pocket pours all of it into his soda. Now I know why he was not only gulping down his drink but also why he asked me to drive. No biggie get your drink on Chili Cheese Fries Chris.

First half of the movie is fun. Love the fight between the Bride and Daryl Hannah. But after that first half the film goes to crap and thanks to CCF Chris our movie going experience went to crap.

During that whole long boring way to long dialogue scene The Bride and the pimp guy,Chris gets up goes to get his drink and mine refilled and my popcorn refilled. He comes back slurping down his soda again. Then out of his pocket appears another tiny bottle of Crown Royal. By now Chili Cheese Fries Chris is halfway sloshed. He just gets the last drop of the second mini Bottle into his soda cup when he loses his grip on the cup. It drops to the floor. Splashing up the liquor/soda mix onto CCF Chris. Then the cup rolls down to the front of the screening room.With  the strong smelling mixture leaking out of the cup as it rolls.  Theater reeks of liquor. And this movie reeks of padding and a director that the studio is afraid to tell "Hey this is too long. cut 20 minutes of the rambling talk that goes no where."

Leaving the theater even CCF Chris,in his drunk enough I had to make sure he made it into his house,was muttering about how the movie "sucked mostly."

When the movie hit home video I bought it and yep it wasn't made better by not having to smell liquor through out the last 3rd of the film.

If Kill Bill had been  released as one film the pacing  issue would be resolved. Plus betting the padding scenes would be gone.

But with those two major issues there aint no way this film could be considered one of QT's better films.

Come back next Tuesday at 12pm  central time for the next film.

QT Tuesdays & Thursdays Worst to First 1 of 10

 Was arguing not that long ago with the Metal Manlet,the dudee with the best/worst shit-stache ever over which of the so far 10 movies is Quentin Tarentino's best and worst films.

And by 10 films we meant the 10 that he directed and are available for viewing in full. So no My Best Friends Birthday,True Romance,Natural Born Killers or Four Rooms.

Starting with what I think is QT's worst movie here on this lovely Tuesday in December. 

#10-Death Proof

April 2007

Ya I know this is universally considered Tarantino's worst movie. What differs is how much the people that think it is his worse dislike this movie.

When Death Proof came out as the second film in Grindhouse,I was already not happy with QT. I decieded to not bother going to a theater to see this. Something that I had only done with 2 previous QT films. When it hit DVD I didn't bother buying or even renting it for close to a year.

Seems like for me I was right in skipping seeing this in a theater. And yes I know the DVD and Blu ray out there are a different cut of this movie from what was shown in Grindhous. And yes I have seen both cuts of this movie. I have had the Grindhouse cut of this and Planet Terror on DVD-r for years from when it aired on Starz. Unlike Planet Terror I prefer the Grindhousee cut of Death Proof. Mostly cause it is shorter and one of my big issues with the  DVD cut of Death Proof is the length. It feels like what happened with Stephen King in the book industry in the early 90s is now happening with QT in the film industry. They both are so big that no one will tell them "Hey asshat might need to edit that book/movie down."

Stunt Man Mike ,Kurt Russell,has made his stunt car DEATH PROOF. If you are sitting on the driver's side that is. And after long scenes adding more ammo to the people that bang on and on about how QT has a foot fetitsh,we get long scenes of a group of younger adult women having conversations. In which each of the ladies sounds exactly like any other character in a QT film having a long conversation about anything that has almost nothing to do with the plot of the film,.

QT appears as the bar tender. And Stuntman Mike offers a tipsy Rose McGowen a ride home. He kills her in a gruesome bloody way. But by the time I reach this point of the film I am already wishing this entire movie was a 30 to 45 minute segment in an anthology film. 

We time jump ahead some years. Again we get 4 women talking exacly like QT does. But this time it is kind of relevent to the plot.  These ladies are 2 stunt women,a make up lady and one of the stars of a film. They are bored being stuck in this rural tiny town. And one of the stunt women sees that a rare muscle car is up for sale. 

They go to check out the car,talk the star into staying behind while the other three take it out for  a test drive. Out oon this drive,while doing a dangerous stunt,that shows why Zoe Bell is one of the best stunt women of the modern era,Stunt Man mike appears and wants to kill these women. 

The three fight back. And we get a bunch of stuff taken from Faster Pussycat Kill Kill. End of film.

Man I wanted to like this movie. After seeing it the first time I thought maybe the Grindhouse cut will fix the issues. It helped but not enough. The cast is good. Kurt Russell is  amazing. Zoe Bell aint great at delivering dialogue,but she makes up with the ship's mast stunt. Plus Rosario Dawson is her normal movie stealing self. 

All of the above greatness can't make up for the bad pacing and long rambling chats in the movie. 

Which is why Death Proof is the worst of Quentin's Tarantino's movies for me.

Is it a horrible movie? Nope. Just he had ,be sides  one stumble before this,set the bar so high. 

So come back Thursday to see what film number  9 is.

Clerks 3 plus my history with this franchise AKA Goodbye Hippie Mike

 

It was a few weeks before Xmas in 1994. I was at the local second run theater with some friends. It was Friday which meant the theater woudl air Rocky Horror Picture show,starts at 11pm. And afterwards for one more dollar you got a second film. Sometimes it was a beat up print of a cult classic. Other times it was one of the movies the theater was showing a month after they had hit theaters.

We were lined up out front,enjoying a abnormally chilly december evening when I looked and saw the poster up top hanging. I remembered reading about Clerks in some film magazine,I am betting it was Film Threat. Once we got to the box office,and I saw the theater manager was running it that night,I asked her if there was any chance she could show Clerks as the second feature. "That is the plan. Watched it last night. Looks like a movie you oddballs would love."

Well after Rocky ended 80% of the crowdd got up and left. But close to 15 of us stayed. Sure since this was the rare movie theater back then that served beer,by the pitcher,I'm sure a few of the people that paid the buck to see another film were hoping to use that time to sober up some before heading home.

When the ending credits finished it was after 1am. We all piled in my Oldsmobile Delta 88 and headed home. Already a few lines from the movie were being quoted. "37? In a Row?" and "I aint even suppose to be here today"

Sunday when I finally woke up I called the theater to see how long they had Clerks. Got told "Well last night is the first time any tickets were sold for it. I still got it for a week. Unless it starts drawing that is it." Over the next 7 days I tried my best to convince everyone I knew to go see it. But when the next weekend hit and we were lined up again to see Rocky Horror I noticed Clerks was gone. Learned that in the 17 days she had the print 19 tickets were sold for the film.

Back then I rarely kept track when new movies where hitting home video,I was more concerned with tracking  down all the 70s horror movies I hadn't seen yet. But with Clerks I knew the exact date it hit VHS. And I had a copy pre-ordered through a local media store. Clerks was also a major reason  why I got a laserdisc player. I had been wanting  one for years. Then learned that Kevin Smith was a huge lasersdisc fan. And how the Clerks laserdisc not only had a commentary but cut scenes and the original ending of the film. This original ending I had read about in some  mag.

Before Feb of 97 that vhs of  Clerks had been watched so many times I had to get a new copy. Plus when  Mallrats hit theaters we learned that the nearest to us it was playing was two states to the east. So again pile up in the Olds Delta 88 and drive almost 3 hours to see Mallrats.

Now sure I saw and enjoyed Mallrats,Chasing Amy,Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob Strike back. But Clerks was still my favorite of the View Askewiverse.

In early 97 I moved. And for close to 2 years I was swing manager at a convience store. At this job I introduced every coworker I had to the film. And since I have dark hair and usually got a mustache/goatee combo my name badge at this job said Dante for years. It was alsto through this job that I met my best friend for the decade I lived in Southeast Texas. Hippie Mike,he was a guy that had by the late 90s faced some rough stuff. He was drafted right out of high school to go into the navy and over to Vietnam. Mike became a huge Kevin Smith fan. And any time a new Smith came out Mike was there with me opening night to see it.

Lots of our friends would joke and claim that Dante was Mike and Randal was me. And I could understand that. Mike like Dante tried to always see the best in any situation. Randal like me,espically back then,was a cynical asshole who always noticed the negative.

When the Clerks cartoon debuted Mike and I and a pile of friends watched it. Hell I had a brand new VHS tape ready to record it,in SP mode to get the best quality. And when the second episode aired I recorded that. Of course that is all ABC aired.

Then Oni Press started publishing Clerks One shot comics. And around the same time Jay and SIlent Bob Action figures were made. Hippie Mike by this time had lost his mother,his grandmother and his sister. He had no family left really. And my family kind of adopted him. That year for Xmas Mike bought me the Jay and Silent Bob figures.

I was now online. And hearing about Smith's next movie Dogma. Opening night first showing  Hippie Mike and I were there. Watching the 9 or so protestors out front of the theater. Sure I loved the movie,like Kevin Smith my mother tried to raise me Catholic,but after the Clerks cartoon and comics I wanted more Dante and Randal,and I wanted more Quik Stop and RST Video.

Jay and Silent Bob Strike back comes out. Again  went with Hippie Mike. We liked it but it felt like the least of Smith's Jersey films. So when in the ending credits Smith hinted that Clerks II was out next I jumped up and cheered.

Well  that Clerks cartoon,by now it was out on home  video.Which included all the unaired episodes. And Comedy Central was airing it often.

Now Hippie Mike by this time had learned he had lung cancer. He had been exposed to all kinds of stuff while in the Navy. He got declaired fully disabled. And was getting a disability check. But all of us quickly noticed that without a schedule Mike was getting bad off. He would sleep for 2 days straight. Forget to eat. Most of us were getting really worried about him. So at least every other day one of us would go by and check on him.

Normally on Wednesdays I would get off from work,run  by my local comic shop get my comics. Then run by see Mike and take him out to eat. I was almost to Mike's place when my cell rang. I looked it was Mike. He never called my cell so I was worried. "Yea I' m almost there you ok?" Got told he had great news and hurry up and get there.

I  pulled up ,parked my car. Was on his front steps about to knock when I heard him tell me to come on in. Before I could even tell Hippie Mike hello He yelled "CLERKS 2 IS  COMING OUT SOON!" I hadn't seen him this happy in a long time. He showed me on his computer the news. And I told him we were going to see it my treat.

Months later Clerks 2 comes out and we go a few days after it came out. My eyes have always been very  sensitive to light and by this time I had noticed the local movie theaters would be packed with teens. Teens who  couldn't go more than 15 minutes without using their phones to text someone. Sure they weren't talking during the film. But the bright screens would distract and blind  me in a dark theater. So our plan was go  on a weekday around 1pm. YOu know when  the teens should be in school. 

I took the day off work. The girl I was with at the time came with me. We went picked up Mike. Went  out to eat. Then headed to the theater in the mall. It was the closest theater plus a buddy was the manager.So if he was there we could get snacks for a big discount.

Bought our tickets. Saw my buddy was there. We each got a large soda and a large popcorn for a huge discount. Go into the theater and it is us three. Who sat about half way up the riser seats in the dead middle. About 3 people further up who's faces I knew from the comic shop. And that was it. I took  my cell turns it to vibrate. Thought this is gonna be fun.

Then a group of 10 teenageres walk in. They sit on the first row of the risers. Now the lights were still on and those mega easy movie trivia questions were playing. I noticed how every few minutes one of these teens  would pull out their phone,type out a text. Then another of the teens on that row would get the text and reply. I figured ok once the lights go down they will stop.Lights dim  trailers start and the teens are quiet and not texting.

About 45 minutes into the film the teens started texting again. And I was getting pissed. I stoood up whispered to her "I'm going down  to say something to them" got told "Dont cause a scene". Walked down  tapped the teenage boy on the last seat on  the row on the shoulder . When he turned  and was facing me I quietly said "Hey man whenever you send or get a text that bright screen is distracting. Would you mind waitingg till the film is over to do that again?Please."

The teen looked at me laughed"Fuck off old man" So I was pissed but walked back to my seat. 5 minutes hadn't passed when  the teen sent  or got a text. When he did i saw him hold his cell up high,then  turn his head and look at me and smile.

In one fluid motion  I grabbed my half full large soda out of the holder on the armrest,and hurled it right at that kid's head.It hit him on top his head and him and the guy next to him got drenched. 

"What the fuCk!" yelled the one kid. Then he got up and him and the other wet kid left the theater. Then the movie stopped and the lights turned on. I see the  two kids coming back in,hear them  yelling. Then see my buddy the manager. "Ok  point at who threw the Coke at ya" Of course the two point at me. He motions for me to come down "It's alright folks. Gonna get this settled and we will start the movie back up."

"Well REDACTED did you throw your Coke at this guy?" Told him yep. "Why did you do it?" Told him about asking them to not text being told Fuck off old man. The  whole time we are talking all the teens are looking at me and smiling. "Well here at this theater we got a strict policy about .... minors being  in  R rated movies!" THen he asked all the teens for their IDs. "ANd if you are underage you have to leave.". Turns out they were all underage. Still not sure why there weren't in school. So he kicks them out. Then starts the movie back up and brings me a new large Coke "And try to not throw this one  at someone OK"

For years after this Hippie Mike would tell people about it. That year since he had no family left I told him to come with me to visit my family for Xmas. My mother asked for a gift idea for him,and me too. And I told her to get us Clerks 2.

That year Xmas night my father,Hippie Mike and I shared a 12 pack of beer,watched Clerks 2. And laughed so much  Dad almost pissed himself.

Fall of 2007 I moved. Left Texas and moved back to MS. For the first 2 years I was back in MS I would call and check up on Hippie Mike once a week. He  came to see us for Xmas those 2 years.

After a major Hurricane hit that area Mike decided to move to Arkansas,he had family in that area. And after his lung cancer being  in remission for close to 12 years it had come back.I started hearing from Hippie Mike less and less. Until one day close to 5 years ago at the same time I got a call,a text and a message on FB. All from friends out in Texas. All telling me that Mike had been found  dead in his place. Sadly it appeared he had been dead for at least a week. Seems he had a heart attack.

I hated having  lost contact with Mike. The guy was like the older brother I never had. I hated how after I moved out of Texas some  scumbags took advantage of MIke. Like 2 years before I moved Mike got a huge settlement check. One big enough that between it and his monthly disability checks Mike should have been set for life. Nope a flakey scumbag that I won't name took advantage of Mike's lonliness and within 8 months had gotten  all of the money Mike got in that settlement. And when that money was gone so was this scumbag.

Was years later I heard that Kevin Smith was making  another Jersey film. And of course first thing  I thought about how this would be the first film in the series since Mallrats that I didn't goto the movie theater with Hippie Mike to see it. I wasn't even gonna see the movie. Skipped a chance to see it in  a  theater.  And it wasn't until I got it on DVD cheap that I watched it. Honestly on that first viewing I didn't like it. 

So finally after years and years of talk Clerks 3 is filmed and given  a kind of touring roadshow movie theater release. It did play close to me ,but after the  wet fart that Jay and Silent Bob Reboot was,plus not really wanting to see a new Clerks film without Hippie Mike I skipped it. 

Tired to avoid spoilers. All I knew was that something happens that either you will be pissed about or you might end up crying over. Then  I heard that Clerks 3 would hit streaming for rental or purchase in November. And goto DVD/Blu  ray in early December. My plan at the time was get it on Blu ray as a Xmas present. And like the year Clerks 2 came out,getting a 12 pack of beer,but this time splitting the beer with just my father.

The day  Clerks 3 hit streaming I wasn't feeling  good mentally. But my angel knew how to cheer me up. "Go check the Vudu account  you got an early present." I go look and there is Clerks 3. 

SPOILERS FOR CLERKS 3

Once I started the film and learned that between 2 and 3 Rosario Dawson's character Becky had died,along with her and Dante's child,I figured that is what pissed off a pile of people. I wasn't mad but also wasn't that mad about her having died.

The more of the film I saw the more I saw that Dante was just a Gen  X version of Hippie Mike. A guy who life had shit on many times. But he kept going  on. 

So when Dante  has the heart attack. It  hit me hard. Then when Randal takes the edit of his movie to the ICU and him and Dante watch it no lie I was tearing  up. When  they showed Dante in his head sitting in a theater and watching the movie I knew I was gonna need some tissues. But when Rosario  appeared and laid her head on Dante's shoulders that is when I knew Dante was gonna  die. And when he did I stopped the movie. It felt like I had lost Hippie Mike again.

Since that night I have bought the Blu Ray of Clerks 3. And watched the movie 3 times,once with the commentary  and 2 times without it. Watched all the extras. And each viewing when  Dantes and Becky stand up to leave the theater it gets extremely dusty in whatever room I am in.

I never thought  back on  that cold night in December 1992 that this b/w white  low budget movie about two slackers working in  a conveince store and a video store would become one of my favorite films. ANd each time I watch Clerks 3 I keep thinking "Man I wish  Hippie Mike was  here to see this."

So Mike my older brother,I hope you know how much you are missed by so many people. I hope yoiu realized how much good you did for so many. And I wish you were still here.I know  if you were you would love Clerks 3. Miss you brother. Thank you for all that you did,not only for me but for so many others.

3 modern lesser known tv shows based on comic books.

 As a kid I would watch any movie ,cartoon or tv show based on a comic. Which it being the mid to late 70s meant I watched some good stuff,like the Superfriends every Saturday morning on ABC. And some crap like the first of the 2 made for TV Captain America movies.

Even skipping ahead till I was almost 18 and it was rare we got a good film,cartoon or tv show based on a comic. Sure there was stuff like Tim Burton's first Batman movie or Spiderman and his Amazing friends cartoon. But I would watch it all .

Now thanks to the explosion of the Marvel movies at the box office,and all the new streaming services their is demand for comic book tv shows,cartoons and  movies. With so many there is always a few that get over looked.

I figure if you are reading this blog you already know about stuff like Arrow and Flash on CW,Flash was decent for the first season and 1/2 Arrow on the other hand I never liked. And seems like I am one of the few that didn't watch all of Daredevil on Netflix.  No way would I have believed every 10 years ago that stuff like Preacher,The Boys and Sandman would get TV shows that are hits.

But as I said earlier there is some I feel get over looked. Here is my list of 3 that I think most people that enjoy comics or enjoy comic movies/tv shows/cartoons should check out.

Up first is the newest show on the list. Based on the famous underground comix Fabulous Furry Freak Bros is an animated TV Show on TUBI. Which means it is free. Each episode is close to 30 minutes long.

Now the comic was about the "adventures" of 3 stoners aka Freaks that lived in the 60s/70s.  It was a huge hit and even had it's own board game. In the first season of the cartoon these 3 get sent into the modern world. So the first season was about them and Fat Freddy's cat figuring out how to live in a very different world.

Good animation and a great voice cast,they got John Goodman as one of the bros,made this a can't miss show for me. IIRC new episodes hit TUBI on Sundays. Last I heard it was a huge hit and TUBI has comissioned a second season. 

AFAIK the comic is easy to find in various collections. I have read scans of the main series and it wasn't bad. 

So since I started with an Indie comic going to DC next. And the next show has had 3 seasons so far. Starting off on DC's short lived streaming service,which was a good idea but too nichie to survive,then folding into HBOmax,Doom Patrol  takes it's basic premise from not only the 60s Doom Patrol comics but also the late 80s thru mid 90s run from Grant Morrison.

Who are the Doom Patrol? Well they are a group of heroes/heroines that think they are freaks and hated by mankind. So a super genius in a wheelchair bands them together to fight crime. Yea I know sounds a lot like the X-men. And both teams appeared so close together there is little chance one was copied from the other. And like the X-men,Doom Patrol in the 60s wasn't a huge seller. It got cancelled and the writer killed off the entire team in their final issue.

Then in the 80s in the classic acclaimed New Teen Titans series Wolfman/Perez brought back Robotman. And the Doom Patrol's main villian team of bad guys. Then not long after that in a great annual of Secret Origins John Bryne retold the origin of the original Doom Patrol. Then retold the origin of the short lived revival of the Doom Patrol in the 70s. Then at the end of this comic it was strongly hinted that soon the Doom Patrol would come back.

When the comic did come back I loved it.But it wasn't selling well. So around issue 18 or so a new writer was brought on board and told "Do whatever you want. You got 6 issues to increase sales or the title is cancelled"

Grant Morrison was the new writer and he went wild. Killing off the DP members he didn't like. And even slowly over a few years bringing back most of the original members. 

So far,now I still need to finish season 2 of the TV show,the Doom Patrol series on HBOMax is really inspired by the Grant Morrison run. While also adding new elements.

You got Brandon Fraiser as the voice of Robotman.  Robotman was always my favorite on the team and Brandon is great as Cliff. Cliff was a race car driver. Got into a major accident and all that was saved was his brain. Which The Chief,Timothy Dalton as the leader of the Doom Patrol,puts CLiff's brain into this robo-body. Cliff is the defalt leader of the Doom Patrol.

Then there is April Bowlby as Rita Farr aka Elasti-girl. She was an actress,best known for her looks and many trips on the casting couch,who gains the ability to change the shape of her body. Her emotions control her body so once she gains these abilities she can't act anymore. IIRC in the Morrison run on the title it was revealed that when the original team "died" the only one that stayed dead was Elasti-girl.

Already mentioned that TImothy Dalton is The Chief. Who was the leader of the original team,and in the Morrison run comes back and has a nasty secret revealed about himself and the rest of the team.

Matt Borner as Larry Trainor aka Negative Man,is the other member of the original team. Well member of the original team that was there from the start. He got exposed to radiation while being a test pilot. This causes Larry to radiate radation out of his body. He is basically trapped in a lead cell to prevent him from hurting anyone. When he gets sent special bandages. Which stop the radation in his body from leaking out. Larry also learns that inside him is a radioactive duplicate. Who he can send out to do stuff.Larry so far is the character that is changed the most from the comic. Now I know that in Morrison's run and then in Rachel Polluck's run it is strongly hinted that Larry might be a gay man. In the show this isn't hinted it is flat out said.

In season 1 there is 2 other members of the team. First up is Diane Guerrero as Crazy Jane. Jane has 64 different personalities and each of them has their own superpower. Before this show all I had seen Guerrero in was Orange is a New Black. And well on that show she wasn't given much to work with. So I was a bit worried when I heard Diane had been hired to be Crazy Jane. I love Crazy Jane. She was my favorite member of the Morrison run of Doom Patrol.

Was suprised when I saw that Diane Guerrero is a great actress. She is perfect as Crazy Jane. Love how they have slowly introduced her alt personalities. Plus how like in the comic we are seeing how Cliff and Jane are falling in love. Maybe a slight spoiler,but when Morrison was leaving the title he asked if he could write his final issue as an ending for the series. He left it set up where the next writer could ignore what Morrison set up or use it. In this issue Jane is somehow in the real world. Trapped in a mental hospital. Jane is being told all her adventures with the Doom Patrol were not real. And the one thing that really gets to Jane is she is told that Robotman doesn't exist. Jane realizes she is gonna have to pretend to be better to get out. She does this. Gets out and goes to a bridge. Planning on jumping to her death. When out of nowhere Robotman appears. Tells her he has searched most of the multiverse for her. Then invites her to come with him and live the rest of their lives together on Danny the street. Great ending for a great comic. And one I hope they use on the show.

Now while he isn't an official member of the team yet on the show I gotta talk about Danny the Street. Danny is a sentient street. Who communicates by changing the text on the windows of the business on the street. Danny the street can travel and take whoever is on the street to anyplace in the world. After meeting him,assuming Danny is a male cause well Danny is usually a male name,the Doom Patrol starts using Danny the Street as their main form of transportation. Danny appears in season 1 and in season 2.

The last official member of the team in season 1,doesn't join into a bit into the season. That is Vic Stone AKA Cyborg.  Pretty sure in the comics Cyborg was never in the Doom Patrol. But he fits in perfectly in the tv show. Like the rest of the original members Cyborg feels like a freak. The actor playing him in this show is great. And I like how the FX crew managed to make Cyborg look so much like he did in the classic New Teen Titans comic. Keep hearing that DC wants Cyborg to be a huge hero for the company. Which is why he was added to the Justice League movie. So far besides the Teen Titans cartoon this Doom Patrol tv show is the only time I have seen Cyborg used right.

Most of season 1 is the team fighting MR Nobody and trying to figure out where the Chief has disappeared too. When this was airing it was one episode a week. And I didn't have the DC streaming service. SO whatever night it aired I knew which dailymotion channel was bootlegging it. Soon as they had their copy uploaded I would rip it and watch it.

When season 1 hit home video of course I grabbed it. Season 2 starts and I was doing a free trial of the DC Streaming service. Watched 2 episodes and my free trial ended. I figured I would just buy season 2 on DVD. I did that and watched 3  episodes and misplaced the dvds until recently.

Now my last show gonna goto Marvel. And to a property of theirs I am shocked they hadn't tried a live action show of before this. The show I am talking about is The Gifted. A 2 season long action/drama on FOX.

Set in the slight future,where all the X-men have vanished and the government uses robots to hunt down and capture mutants.

A dad who works for the government group in charge of capturing the mutants finds out his two teenage kids are mutants. These two are basically Fenris from the comics. Well power wise. 

The dad,mom and kids go on the run. And quickly get hooked up with the mutant underground. Which is made up of some great X-men characters that I rarely see used outside the comics. Warpath,brother of Thunderbird,is one. An Native American mutant. He is basically the mutant version of Captain America. Then there is Polaris,who in the first season is in jail. A lady mutant with magnetic powers like Magneto. Another is Blink. Blink can teleport. 

There is many other mutants introducedd in the 2 seasons the show got. Keep hearing that while the ratings were decent. The show cost a fortune to make. And wasn't getting good enough ratings to justify a 3rd season.

Well hope yall enjoyed that. Might do another of these soon. Cause there is shows like Legion,on FX and another X-men related show,Cloak and Dagger,2 seasons on ABC family. Or not from Marvel there is Constantine,DC show based on the same comic of the movie of the same name, and Umbrella Academy,based on a comic from Dark Horse wrote by the lead singer of My Chemical Romance.

31 Days of Horror 2022 Stats

 Well this is the 23rd year of me doing my 31 days of horror. And since 2008 They have been posted here at my blog.

Took a bit of time and came up with some stats for the 31 films this year.

Out of the 31 choices 20 of them were stuff I owned. 11 of those are DVDs.6 of those are Blu Rays.2 were DVD-rs and 1 was a mp4 file.

With 20 of them being stuff I owned that means I streamed 11 of the films. Shudder has the most at 4,not surprised with Shudder being a HORROR streaming service. Second place  is NetFlix with 3,again not surprised. 3rd place is a 4 way tie between Vudu,Hulu,Tubi and Paramount Plus.

10 of the films were things I saw for the first time. Not bad I try my best each year to have close to a 3rd being stuff I had never seen.

Worst film is Leatherface with a D-. This is the recent prequel movie. That is a killers on the run movie. Total crapfest and almost the worst TCM movie.

Best film was Nightmare on Elm Street 3 with a A. But Mass Hysteria with an A- is a close second.

Out of all the films I watched I don't own Mass Hysteria is the one I want to own. Do not think it has a physical release so far. And it only being 66 minutes long I doubt it plays on TV much.