The More Things Change, the More I Have to Update
Hey-o!
To start this week's blog on a positive note: I wanted to do an update to my last blog because there was movement in a positive direction there and I wanted to acknowledge that. But, this also gives me a little bit of a chance to update other things I've talked about on this blog, so be forewarned, some of it probably will be a bummer.
Did the Big 2 Read My Last Blog?
But, let's start with the good. So, in last week's blog, I was talking about evergreen superhero comics titles and how a lot of the books that are often presented as key comics in the canon of the medium are dense works that exist in heavy context--they're often meta in some way and/or in conversation with other comics, other titles, other creators--and while many of those titles have their value, being steeped in a need to understand comics makes them not great as titles that are meant to be accessible to people trying to get into comics. And among the solutions I hoped the big 2 might find was a desire for shifting the titles and lines that are presented as new reader friendly.
Then ComicsPro happened! If you're unfamiliar, ComicsPro is a very special kind of comic convention. Instead of being a public, fan-focused event where industry meetings also happen, ComicsPro is for retailers (both those in the ComicsPro organization and retailers who are curious) and publishers/distributors/suppliers/etc. Basically, the people who sell you comics get to meet with their peers and the companies who make comics and get into shops. But there are some more general announcements and updates from publishers that come out of the show every year and I wanna focus for a minute on the DC and Marvel ones.
So, besides returning to Wednesdays being when new DC comics are out (cool) and their big summer event (cool), DC's big announcement was DC Finest. These are mid-priced ($35) but pretty substantial and curated collections that seem like they're really trying to capture snapshots of DC history--putting the focus on thematically connected stories or a significant time in a character's history or, according to the marketing, stories that're more related by genre than by specific linking canon. The Elseworlds and Marvel/DC announcements are cool too. But to my point of the last blog, I think DC Finest in concert with promoting some of the books from their MG/YA OGN line and a couple of the books from their Compact Comics line, could be a real step in the right direction.
Meanwhile, Marvel's taking a very different approach with their Marvel Must-Haves, but their price point can't be beat! I'll be very interested to see how both approaches roll out and how successful they might be. I'm sure it'll be a subject of conversation at next year's ComicsPro.
I Finished Baldur's Gate and the Verdict is...
I did it! I honestly feel like that's the emotional end for me, at least for the moment. I got a pretty good ending, all things considered. I mostly felt satisfied with how it all went down. But in a way that I do think is unique to this kind of game, there's some stuff that I am sorry I missed out on, but I don't know that any of it is compelling enough to spur me to replay it to experience it. So, for now, I'm going to take a break and see if I want to revisit down the line.
Instead, I'm playing Cyberpunk 2077 for the first time, so we'll see how that goes too. I'm particularly interested in how it'll go because at least superficially in terms of like character creation and scope of story and to some degree attitude so far, it does seem like it's got a lot of overlap with BG3.
It Seems So Hard to be a Child
It seems hard to be anyone, frankly.
But it seems hard to be a child when you read about the murder of Nex Benedict, a Native non-binary high schooler, at the hands of other kids who've been radicalized to hate. And when you read about Owasso's school and police seemingly purposefully bumbling it from the start because the system has given in to transphobic terrorism. And when you connect Nex's death in your mind to Brianna Ghey, who was also killed by her peers. And when you connect Nex's death to all the kids who have been killed in just your lifetime: the kids who lost their lives in the Sandy Hook shooting, Trayvon Martin, anyone killed in the 253 school shootings since Sandy Hook (approximately--that's going off the Washington Post's school shooting tracker, though if you look at the Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety from the Institute of Education Sciences and Department of Education, you can see a very different picture in both 2021 which includes all incidents in which a gun is brandished or fired on school property and recorded over 400 incidents from 2012-2021 and 2022 which just counted "active shooter incidents" of which apparently there were only 22 from 2012-2021), any of the kids killed for the "crime" of being Black or Native or gay or trans or just existing. And when you learn that homicide has become the leading cause of death for children in the U.S. and that the rate has steadily increased since 2012. And when you realize that Covid has become a major cause of death for kids because it has been so mishandled. And when you look at the kids being abused by ICE and Border Patrol (I know family separation is "no longer in practice" and that the specific facility that was being investigated was closed... still happened in the lifetime of a kid Nex's age). And when you see kids younger than you being stabbed to death and kids just a couple years older than you, maybe adults in the eyes of the world but as any responsible adult would realize, 20 is still a kid, are shot for being Palestinian in America. And when you turn your eyes internationally, not just to Brianna Ghey, but to the estimated 14000 Palestinian children who've been killed in the past 5 months.
I don't think many kids read my blog. That's probably for the best. But if you are a young person reading this, I'm sorry that you aren't being taken care of the way you deserve. I hope you have love in your life, family and friends who can be there to support you. I hope you can lead a life without fear. And I'm sorry that so many others have been failed. If you have a kid in your life, let them know you love them and that you will work to protect them.
Finally, I'm sorry that the US government (at both a federal and state leve) that has, at the least, been permissive through a blind eye to allow so many children to die, and at the most, has had an active hand in that--through vetoing stronger gun laws, through appointing real terrorists to library boards as reward for their hate campaigns, through providing funding to kill kids abroad. I'm sorry that they ignore your lifes, your deaths, your hopes, your fears, and yet love to control you and to use you as justification. I'm sorry that they seek to control your bodies in the war against abortion and IVF and your rights. I'm sorry they name a bill after your "safety" when they have a clear track record of not actually giving a single shit. I'm sorry that you are growing up with a government that wants to legislate your presence in society--modern Ugly laws that seek to make access to safe third spaces, both physical and digital, so much harder for not just kids, but people of all ages. I'm sorry that you have to grow up knowing that if you're a woman or a person of color or trans or disabled or poor or homeless or a sex worker (not kids, but knowing this about adults), people are actively working to make sure you don't have a place in the world.
I could say a lot more. I could try to track the complimentary forces of capitalism and facism that have led us here, or talk about how AI is a part of this conversation too, or talk about my views as a former journalist on when interviewing a person contributes to greater harm and that outweighs "objectivity." But for now, what needs to be said is I hope that Nex's family's pain eases and that they know justice. Rest in peace and power, Nex.
You already know what I'm going to say here at the end. Let this feed you as you continue to not give your representatives rest. Call, fax, email, and demonstrate, and I hope you can channel your connected frustrations over how broken this system is and how much harm it causes into what you say.
Goodbye Ramona
Lastly for this week, I'd like to remember Ramona Fradon, who passed away this weekend. Ramona is one of those comic book legends who still does not have the recognition she deserves. She was an artist who co-created Metamorpho and his main supporting cast and who in her time worked on Superman, Batman, Fantastic Four, Plastic Man, Brenda Starr, Aquaman, and the SuperFriends. She was a helluva artist and only retired officially at the age of 97 last month (which... speaks to other problems around how we treat our older creators). Mark Evanier shared some very nice stories on his blog. She will be missed.
New Releases this week (2/21/24):
Godzilla Rivals: Mothra vs. MOGUERA (Editor - IDW, post-leaving)
New Releases next week (2/28/24 - I believe these are both out)
Godzilla: War for Humanity #4 (Editor - IDW, post-leaving)
Sonic: Fang the Hunter #2 (Editor- IDW, post-leaving)
Announcements:
Happy Black History Month! This week, I want to spotlight writer Danny Lore! If you read this blog, you might know Danny from either of their Transformers: Shattered Glass runs or from their name on the upcoming Godzilla 70th Anniversary Special where they did an awesome story (one of the last scripts I got to edit at IDW). You also might know them from their work at DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Boom!, Vault, Dynamite, their non-with-me IDW work, or their indie work! Danny's awesome and you can keep up with them here!
Big news from Becca, who'll take the spotlight this week! First and foremost, they did a cover for Godzilla Rivals: Mothra vs. Hedorah! Featuring Josh Trujillo and Josh Cornillion on the story and other covers by Josh C. and Sara Pitre-Durocher! You can pre-order the issue now at your local comic shop with the info at the PRH link above! But also, they've got new stuff on their Patreon! But also, their website update is coming with new merch, but after a show tonight in San Diego at Gossip Grill! The event runs from 4-7, right during happy hour (2-6) so come out if you can! But also! We're still getting married in Japan this September and if you can contribute to that, it'd be really lovely!
On my end, my Patreon finally seems to be rolling again after some troubleshooting, and the backlog will be clearing up shortly.
Please also check out my webstore, my Kofi, and/or my eBay for additional ways to support us and get a little something for yourself!
What I enjoyed this week:
Nancy (Comic), Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Links (Video Game), Baldur's Gate III (Video Game), Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game), Blank Check (Podcast), Solve This Murder (Podcast), The City We Became (Book), Witch Watch (Manga), One Piece (Manga), Lore Olympus (Webcomic), Porco Rosso (Movie, actually watched it last week but forgot to shout it out), The Sopranos (TV show), Superstore (TV show), The Woods (Comic), and probably a bunch of other stuff.
Pic of the Week:
BECCA'S COVERRRRRRR!
