Monday, November 30, 2020

Comics Commentary: Introduction to Previews and Recommendations for January 2021

 


This is a Media Diet Comics Commentary video introduction to Previews, as well as my recommendations for comics to be released in January 2021. Unscripted, unedited. Just a guy talking about comics.

Audio only.

Recommendations for January 2021

Find a comic shop near you, and ask for the following titles by name!

Aardvark-Vanaheim

Batvark XXXXX One-Shot second printing (Dave Sim)

Cerebus in Hell 2021 Preview One-Shot (Dave Sim)

Ablaze The Cimmerian: The Frost-Giant’s Daughter #2

Abstract Studios Serial #1 (Terry Moore)

Albatross Funnybooks ‘King Tank Girl #4

AWA Studios American Ronin #4-5 (Peter Milligan)

Behemoth Comics The Strange Disappearance of Barnabas Jones GN

Boom Dune: House Atreides #4 Girlsplaining HC

Comicmix Whisper Omnibus Vol. 2 TP

Dark Horse Barbalien: Red Planet #3 (Jeff Lemire) Colonel Weird: Cosmagog #4 (Jeff Lemire) Dark Horse Face Masks ElfQuest: Stargazer’s Hunt TP (Wendy and Richard Pini) Spy Island TP (Chelsea Cain) Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons #3 The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys: National Anthem #4 (Gerard Way)

Drawn & Quarterly Everything. Seriously.

Dynamite Red Sonja #23 Red Sonja:The  Superpowers #1 Vampirella: The Dark Powers #2

Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc. ERB Universe Book 1: Carson of Venus: The Edge of All Worlds (novel)

Fantagraphics Peepers HC Psychodrama #4 (Gilbert Hernandez)

Hermes Press The Dark Shadows Paperback Library #18: Barnabas, Quentin, and the Nightmare Assassin SC (novel)

IDW Dungeons & Dragons: At the Spine of the World #4 Korgi Book 5 (a Top Shelf joint!) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Best of Leonardo Usagi Yojimbo: Wanderer’s Road #3

Image Family Tree #12 (Jeff Lemire) Rain Like Hammers #1 (Brandon Graham, ex-Meathaus!) Savage Dragon #256 (Erik Larsen) Spawn #314 (Todd McFarlane) Undiscovered Country #12 (Charles Soule)

It’s Alive Breathers #5 Kona #1-2

Kenzer & Company Knights of the Dinner Table #284

NBM The Silent Invasion Vol. 1, Vol. 2, and Vol. 3 GN's

Silver Sprocket The Cruising Diaries One-Shot (Brontez Purnell)

Titan Sunday’s Fun Day Charlie Brown TP

TwoMorrows Comic Book Creator #25 magazine (Barry Windsor-Smith!)

Warrant Publishing Company The Creeps #29 magazine

Manga

Fanfare Presents Ponent Mon A Distant Neighborhood Complete HC

Square Enix Manga A Man and His Cat Vol. 3 GN

Viz Media Asadora! Vol. 1

Transcript below...

Saturday, November 28, 2020

Comics Commentary: Last Song #3 (Black Mask, 2020)


This is a Media Diet Comics Commentary video review of Last Song #3 (Black Mask, 2020). Unscripted, unedited. Just a guy talking about comics.

Audio only.

Transcript below...

Friday, November 27, 2020

Comics Commentary: Science Fiction Tie-In Comics

 

(Part One)

(Part Two)

This is a Media Diet Comics Commentary video review of Star Trek: Voyager—Seven's Reckoning #1 (IDW, November 2020), Doctor Who #1 (Titan, December 2020), and Dune: House Atreides #1-2 (Boom, October-November 2020). Unscripted, unedited. Just a guy talking about comics.

Audio only (Part One). Audio only (Part Two).

Transcript below...

Thursday, November 26, 2020

Comics Commentary: Juggernaut #1-3 (Marvel, November 2020-January 2021)

 

This is a Media Diet Comics Commentary video review of Juggernaut #1-3 (Marvel, November 2020-January 2021). Unscripted, unedited. Just a guy talking about comics.

Audio only.

Transcript below...

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Comics Commentary: Conan the Barbarian Comics

 


This is a Media Diet Comics Commentary video review of Conan the Barbarian #14-15 (Marvel, May and December 2020) and The Cimmerian: People of the Black Circle (Ablaze, 2020). Unscripted, unedited. Just a guy talking about comics.

Audio only.

Transcript below...

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Comics Commentary: Holler #2

 


This is a Media Diet Comics Commentary video review of Holler #2 (It's Alive, October 2020). Unscripted, unedited. Just a guy talking about comics.

Audio only.

Transcript below...

Monday, November 23, 2020

Comics Commentary: Vacation Grab Bag

 


This is a Media Diet Comics Commentary video review of Action Comics #1025 (DC, November 2020), The Amazing Spider-Man #42 (Marvel, May 2020), Avengers #36 (Marvel, November 2020), and Detective Comics #1028 (DC, December 2020). Unscripted, unedited. Just a guy talking about comics.

Audio only.

Transcript below...

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Comics Commentary: Bill & Ted Are Doomed #3

 


Unscripted, unedited. Just a guy talking about comics.

Audio only.

Transcript below...

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Comics Commentary: Red Sonja Vol. 5 #16-21

 


Unscripted, unedited. Just a guy talking about comics.

Audio only.

Transcript below...


Sunday, November 15, 2020

Saturday, November 14, 2020

Comics Commentary: Dungeons & Dragons tie-in comics


We'll see what we think of this little experiment! Little video comics reviews, unscripted, unedited.


Transcript below...

Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Stay On, Target

This morning, I went out to run errands and to run the car a little. I didn't really have any errands I needed to run, but I wanted to get out of the house, into another neighborhood, and do something that involved other people—other than my immediate family and coworkers. Such are my needs occasionally, at this stage in the pandemic. It seems that going out into the world is a source of comfort, because this hour sojourn was just that, a search for comfort.

First stop, Burger King, for two egg and cheese croissanwiches and a large coffee. This is total comfort food, and a standby. I've enjoyed them since the early '90s, when you could still get them on "bagels" at the Burger King on the edge of campus in Evanston. I'd do my early morning radio show, go to Burger King afterward before going home, and then start my day—all before 8 a.m. as a college student. Back then, I preferred the "bagels"—and I use the term advisedly—but today they don't offer "bagels" any more, and I quite like the croissanwich itself. Usually, it's an early-morning breakfast before mustering for a Scout outdoor activity with the troop, but since the pandemic, I've popped out maybe two or three times to indulge myself on my own. Secret, silly breakfast eating in the car.

Then I went to Target. This stop had a purpose of sorts. I wanted to send a birthday card to a relative for her sixteenth birthday. We do have birthday cards at home, but this need was my excuse to get out of the house. I trawled the trading card aisle by the checkouts (sparse pickings, but some Ikoria and Zendikar Rising Magic cards), then hit the greeting cards. I tend to like getting superhero license cards when I can to help support such licensing—and thereby, comic books—but there weren't many options for women. Luckily, there was one Wonder Woman birthday card that shared a pleasant sentiment: We are all born to change the world. Happy birthday, Becca! The card is in the mail.

When I go to Target to just walk around—something I sometimes do as an adult, a form of retail pedestrianism, having done something similar with my parents growing up; we'd all go to Shopko or the mall as a family, not really needing anything in particular, just to walk around and browse—I usually spend most of my time in the games section on the edge of toys, and in the CD, DVD, and book section. For the last few years, the games section has been improving immensely, with the inclusion of card games such as Cards Against Humanity, stocking Eurogames and adjacent options such as Catan, Pandemic, and Ticket to Ride.

Meanwhile, the CDs are fewer and farther between. Now down to maybe 15-20 titles, and with LPs now, as well, for the people who like "vinyls," rather than records, I suppose. Today's options included the new live Eagles record, Roger Waters's latest, Bon Jovi 2020, and records by Deftones and Linkin Park. Middle aged man rock and nu metal, with the occasional K-Pop like BTS. But the book section was rocking—and that even with the magazine section no longer existing! 

There are maybe three aisles of books now, mostly focusing on children's books, but with an OK mix of recent notable genre and tie-in fiction, including the Game of Thrones prequel, a Star Wars novelization, and a couple of Stephen King recents. But the coolest thing to see in the book section was the wide range of antiracist writing, including Ibram X. Kendi's book. Given the heightened racial tensions leading up to and following the recent election—and our country's systematic inequality and still largely unaddressed widespread racism—I am pleased that a retail chain like Target is stocking such books. Right on.

I was also pleased to see Dungeons & Dragons in public. Not only did they have the D&D Starter Set and Essentials Kit in the game section, they had the Player's Handbook in the book section! They also had The World of Critical Role: The History Behind the Epic Fantasy. I've never watched Critical Role. I love playing roleplaying games, but the idea of watching other people play roleplaying games for four hours isn't interesting to me. (Although the involvement of voice actors makes it slightly more compelling—like RPG radio; alert, Big Finish!) I don't even really like playing on Roll20 (sorry, gang!)—I'd rather play on RPOL. But the idea of a book about people playing D&D, making their own world, preparing for their own game sessions... that's a book I can get behind. I look forward to reading it.

And it's inspired me to start a new game on RPOL: Darwell's Tower. (I'm also currently running a Conan game, but it'll be wrapping up soon.) This new game will be for four to six characters levels levels 3-4—let's say 5E just for simplicity's sake. If you'd like to join in, I'd love to play online—text only, folks!—with some Media Dieticians. Just request to join on RPOL, and I'll see you there!