#How to Get Reviews on Amazon in 2021

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Google reneged on the monopolistic bargain

I'm on tour with my new novel The Bezzle! Catch me TONIGHT in SALT LAKE CITY (Feb 21, Weller Book Works) and TOMORROW in SAN DIEGO (Feb 22, Mysterious Galaxy). After that, it's LA, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix and more!

A funny thing happened on the way to the enshittocene: Google – which astonished the world when it reinvented search, blowing Altavista and Yahoo out of the water with a search tool that seemed magic – suddenly turned into a pile of shit.

Google's search results are terrible. The top of the page is dominated by spam, scams, and ads. A surprising number of those ads are scams. Sometimes, these are high-stakes scams played out by well-resourced adversaries who stand to make a fortune by tricking Google:

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/phone-numbers-airlines-listed-google-directed-scammers-rcna94766

But often these scams are perpetrated by petty grifters who are making a couple bucks at this. These aren't hyper-resourced, sophisticated attackers. They're the SEO equivalent of script kiddies, and they're running circles around Google:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/24/passive-income/#swiss-cheese-security

Google search is empirically worsening. The SEO industry spends every hour that god sends trying to figure out how to sleaze their way to the top of the search results, and even if Google defeats 99% of these attempts, the 1% that squeak through end up dominating the results page for any consequential query:

https://downloads.webis.de/publications/papers/bevendorff_2024a.pdf

Google insists that this isn't true, and if it is true, it's not their fault because the bad guys out there are so numerous, dedicated and inventive that Google can't help but be overwhelmed by them:

https://searchengineland.com/is-google-search-getting-worse-389658

It wasn't supposed to be this way. Google has long maintained that its scale is the only thing that keeps us safe from the scammers and spammers who would otherwise overwhelm any lesser-resourced defender. That's why it was so imperative that they pursue such aggressive growth, buying up hundreds of companies and integrating their products with search so that every mobile device, every ad, every video, every website, had one of Google's tendrils in it.

This is the argument that Google's defenders have put forward in their messaging on the long-overdue antitrust case against Google, where we learned that Google is spending $26b/year to make sure you never try another search engine:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-27/google-paid-26-3-billion-to-be-default-search-engine-in-2021

Google, we were told, had achieved such intense scale that the normal laws of commercial and technological physics no longer applied. Take security: it's an iron law that "there is no security in obscurity." A system that is only secure when its adversaries don't understand how it works is not a secure system. As Bruce Schneier says, "anyone can design a security system that they themselves can't break. That doesn't mean it works – just that it works for people stupider than them."

And yet, Google operates one of the world's most consequential security system – The Algorithm (TM) – in total secrecy. We're not allowed to know how Google's ranking system works, what its criteria are, or even when it changes: "If we told you that, the spammers would win."

Well, they kept it a secret, and the spammers won anyway.

A viral post by Housefresh – who review air purifiers – describes how Google's algorithmic failures, which send the worst sites to the top of the heap, have made it impossible for high-quality review sites to compete:

https://housefresh.com/david-vs-digital-goliaths/

You've doubtless encountered these bad review sites. Search for "Best ______ 2024" and the results are a series of near-identical lists, strewn with Amazon affiliate links. Google has endlessly tinkered with its guidelines and algorithmic weights for review sites, and none of it has made a difference. For example, when Google instituted a policy that reviewers should "discuss the benefits and drawbacks of something, based on your own original research," sites that had previously regurgitated the same lists of the same top ten Amazon bestsellers "peppered their pages with references to a ‘rigorous testing process,’ their ‘lab team,’ subject matter experts ‘they collaborated with,’ and complicated methodologies that seem impressive at a cursory look."

But these grandiose claims – like the 67 air purifiers supposedly tested in Better Homes and Gardens's Des Moines lab – result in zero in-depth reviews and no published data. Moreover, these claims to rigorous testing materialized within a few days of Google changing its search ranking and said that high rankings would be reserved for sites that did testing.

Most damning of all is how the Better Homes and Gardens top air purifiers perform in comparison to the – extensively documented – tests performed by Housefresh: "plagued by high-priced and underperforming units, Amazon bestsellers with dubious origins (that also underperform), and even subpar devices from companies that market their products with phrases like ‘the Tesla of air purifiers.’"

One of the top ranked items on BH&G comes from Molekule, a company that filed for bankruptcy after being sued for false advertising. The model BH&G chose was ranked "the worst air purifier tested" by Wirecutter and "not living up to the hype" by Consumer Reports. Either BH&G's rigorous testing process is a fiction that they infused their site with in response to a Google policy change, or BH&G absolutely sucks at rigorous testing.

BH&G's competitors commit the same sins – literally, the exact same sins. Real Simple's reviews list the same photographer and the photos seem to have been taken in the same place. They also list the same person as their "expert." Real Simple has the same corporate parent as BH&G: Dotdash Meredith. As Housefresh shows, there's a lot of Dotdash Meredith review photos that seem to have been taken in the same place, by the same person.

But the competitors of these magazines are no better. Buzzfeed lists 22 air purifiers, including that crapgadget from Molekule. Their "methodology" is to include screenshots of Amazon reviews.

A lot of the top ranked sites for air purifiers are once-great magazines that have been bought and enshittified by private equity giants, like Popular Science, which began as a magazine in 1872 and became a shambling zombie in 2023, after its PE owners North Equity LLC decided its googlejuice was worth more than its integrity and turned it into a metastatic chumbox of shitty affiliate-link SEO-bait. As Housefresh points out, the marketing team that runs PopSci makes a lot of hay out of the 150 years of trust that went into the magazine, but the actual reviews are thin anaecdotes, unbacked by even the pretense of empiricism (oh, and they loooove Molekule).

Some of the biggest, most powerful, most trusted publications in the world have a side-hustle in quietly producing SEO-friendly "10 Best ___________ of 2024" lists: Rolling Stone, Forbes, US News and Report, CNN, New York Magazine, CNN, CNET, Tom's Guide, and more.

Google literally has one job: to detect this kind of thing and crush it. The deal we made with Google was, "You monopolize search and use your monopoly rents to ensure that we never, ever try another search engine. In return, you will somehow distinguish between low-effort, useless nonsense and good information. You promised us that if you got to be the unelected, permanent overlord of all information access, you would 'organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.'"

They broke the deal.

Companies like CNET used to do real, rigorous product reviews. As Housefresh points out, CNET once bought an entire smart home and used it to test products. Then Red Ventures bought CNET and bet that they could sell the house, switch to vibes-based reviewing, and that Google wouldn't even notice. They were right.

https://www.cnet.com/home/smart-home/welcome-to-the-cnet-smart-home/

Google downranks sites that spend money and time on reviews like Housefresh and GearLab, and crams botshittened content mills like BH&G into our eyeballs instead.

In 1558, Thomas Gresham coined (ahem) Gresham's Law: "Bad money drives out good." When counterfeit money circulates in the economy, anyone who gets a dodgy coin spends it as quickly as they can, because the longer you hold it, the greater the likelihood that someone will detect the fraud and the coin will become worthless. Run this system long enough and all the money in circulation is funny money.

An internet run by Google has its own Gresham's Law: bad sites drive out good. It's not just that BH&G can "test" products at a fraction of the cost of Housefresh – through the simple expedient of doing inadequate tests or no tests at all – so they can put a lot more content up that Housefresh. But that alone wouldn't let them drive Housefresh off the front page of Google's search results. For that, BH&G has to mobilize some of their savings from the no test/bad test lab to do real rigorous science: science in defeating Google's security-through-obscurity system, which lets them command the front page despite publishing worse-than-useless nonsense.

Google has lost the spam wars. In response to the plague of botshit clogging Google search results, the company has invested in…making more botshit:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/16/tweedledumber/#easily-spooked

Last year, Google did a $70b stock buyback. They also laid off 12,000 staffers (whose salaries could have been funded for 27 years by that stock buyback). They just laid off thousands more employees.

That wasn't the deal. The deal was that Google would get a monopoly, and they would spend their monopoly rents to be so good that you could just click "I'm feeling lucky" and be teleported to the very best response to your query. A company that can't figure out the difference between a scam like Better Homes and Gardens and a rigorous review site like Housefresh should be pouring every spare dime it brings in into fixing this problem. Not buying default search status on every platform so that we never try another search engine: they should be fixing their shit.

When Google admits that it's losing the war to these kack-handed spam-farmers, that's frustrating. When they light $26b/year on fire making sure you don't ever get to try anything else, that's very frustrating. When they vaporize seventy billion dollars on financial engineering and shoot one in ten engineers, that's outrageous.

Google's scale has transcended the laws of business physics: they can sell an ever-degrading product and command an ever-greater share of our economy, even as their incompetence dooms any decent, honest venture to obscurity while providing fertile ground – and endless temptation – for scammers.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/21/im-feeling-unlucky/#not-up-to-the-task

[kaythefloppa]

Wild Kratts - Our Blue and Green World: Part 1: Review [Spoilers]

Welp, here it is, the Wild Kratts TV movie (not to be confused with the feature film they've been teasing us with since 2021). There's been a lot of hype around this special and season, especially with how much the latter was being hyped up during the hiatus. Let's see if the blue and green bros were able to deliver: Spoilers under the cut

Well, this is certainly an attention grabber!

This entire live action intro is shot and edited like an animated Wild Kratts episode, it's glorious.

Woah, intro change!

They said the thing! They said the thing!

HELP THIS IS SO RELATABLE. Also, THE BOYS ARE FIGHTING

Lmao I don't think they do it very often, but using animals/nature in their insults is very creative.

Also, whooping crane episode when?

This entire song is mercifully short. Like most character sung songs in Wild Kratts, it's not good, but this at least is clever in its lyrics and its visuals. It feels like a Disney reference at best and I am content with that. I also ADORED seeing the Draco and Walrus Suit return again. It's arguably the best musical number in the series. No, that is not saying a lot.

MARTIN WHY ARE YOU THE ONE WHO'S MIFFED YOU NEARLY MUFASA'D YOUR LITTLE BROTHER

CHRIS WHY ARE YOU MILDLY INCONVENIENCED YOU GOT ACRAPHOBIA FALLING FROM THAT HEIGHT

When I first saw the clip, I thought that they were going somewhere with this, like they'd activate Peacock Powers at the end when they recognized the compatibility and blue and green. But nope. Wasted potential is an understatement.

Also, where the fuck are they right now? In a previous shot there was Target the Chameleon, implying that they've been to Madagascar, but that is an Indian peafowl, and as far as I'm concerned, they don't live in Madagascar. Were they just having an off-day? These animals have little to nothing to do with the plot when they really shouldn't have, so I don't see why they couldn't have just shown a projector image or something.

Remember when I joked about the Wild Pony Power Suit returning in S7.... fuck you Apollo.

Man, they are eating it up with the animation here. It's hard to tell with screengrabs but man, is it fluid.

The first half of this episode is mixed. While it feels like the brothers are incredibly stubborn, it also does make sense for them to be this fixated on their favorites. So I can totally buy this. It could've been insufferable to watch, but it wasn't.

As if YOU haven't spied on them since the first time your dorito-headed ass showed up on screen

Did you find that funny? Because not only do they do a similar joke like that later on, but they follow through on that joke in the most unexpected way you will shit your pants when you first ingest it.

Oh my god if they make a Creature Power Suit off of that bird, I will take back any diss I've made, that is so beautiful.

Good to know that Aviva put the button near the chest and not near the back.

Maybe it's just me but this is kinda pushing it. Chris is literally getting his organs crushed, I think that should matter more than A) being right or B) trying to get 2 people to stop fighting.

I'm loving the callback and what this leads up to but ew, all this does is remind me about how ugly bright the color pallatte in S6. Really glad they fixed it in S7.

HELL FUCKING YES

This episode finds really unique ways of showing how the two different biomes are interconnected. It's like Rainforest Stew's (very brilliantly handled) message only to a larger degree. Kids can learn a lot from this.

I fucking love this episode, man.

Honestly, the way they write Paisley in the first half of the episode is very in-line with her character. Most shows that do what this episode does has them be out-of-character as a set-up, but here, she's just roasting the fuck out of Zach. Once again, recontextualized entirely in the climax.

HOW THE FUCK DID HE GET TO MADAGASCAR FROM THE GODDAMN AMAZON IN ONE AFTERNOON THAT IS LIKE MORE THAN 1,000 MILES AWAY?? ARE ANACONDAS THAT FAST?????

Also, INDRIS!!!!! :D

I was frankly expecting this to horribly backfire but spoilers, it doesn't. This actually winds up working. Common Aviva W.

To be continued.... will the blue and green rivalry end? Will one prove superior over another? And will they be able to stop Zach and Paisley and save the planet earth? And will this change the adventures of the Wild Kratts team forever? Stay tuned for part 2!

Pros:

The live action segments.

The animation of the earth's model.

The musical number not being ass.

Paisely's catty behavior.

The Anaconda Suit.

The inventive ways they show how the stability of the Earth is complex. There are a lot of ways it functions and thus a lot of ways it needs to survive

The comedy.

Cons:

The villains do not do anything until the second half of this episode. In fact, they're left completely in the backdrop. I expected them to make their prescence known and for Aviva to invent the discs to get them together for the SAKE of fighting the villains. But no. It makes the stakes feel hollow, which is the opposite of what they should be gunning for in an hour long special that they hype the shit out of.

CONCLUSION:

It was an "okay" set-up. It did live up to some of the hype it had, but not all of it. Honestly if it wasn't for the second half of this episode, this movie would be mediocre or slightly above average, but no. They do pick themselves off the ground and... they do jump the shark. But we'll get to that next time

[meret118]

It’s been almost a month since the new FTC rule was officially approved, but if you still can’t smell what The Rock-a-Khan is cooking, here’s the slo-mo replay: Every time one of these fake-news jerks gets caught posting phony AI-generated “best lists,” Uncle Sam is free to slap them with a bill for $51,744 per violation.

. . .

And lest the wanna-be bullies of public relations (like those called out in a 2021 Mother Jones’ barnburner Amazon exposé) feel left out, the FTC now has a little section of rules just for them, barring product review suppression.

Per the ruling, that means it’s a violation for “anyone to use an unfounded or groundless legal threat, a physical threat, intimidation, or a public false accusation in response to a consumer review… to (1) prevent a review or any portion thereof from being written or created, or (2) cause a review or any portion thereof to be removed, whether or not that review or a portion thereof is replaced with other content.”

Finally, in case any slimeballs out there forgot, the FTC reminded them that independent consumer advocacy journalism isn’t for sale. The rule makes it a violation for a business to “provide compensation or other incentives in exchange for, or conditioned expressly or by implication on, the writing or creation of consumer reviews expressing a particular sentiment, whether positive or negative, regarding the product, service or business

More at the link.

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: June 2023

Summer months here we go! Just wrapped up my time with Zelda so I foresee more reading and tv in my future again. In the meantime, here’s how I spent June!

……….FILM……….

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) Saw it twice and the first time was very nearly too much to take in. The second viewing was far less overwhelming and still a joy. While it didn’t feel like a complete story following Miles, at least there’s some satisfying conclusion with Gwen. I’m glad part 2 comes out in less than a year. 

Ali Wong: Baby Cobra (2016) Maybe I wasn’t in the right mood or maybe going with one of her older specials wasn’t the right call but I wasn’t really feeling it. I can see hints of overlapping themes that pop up in BEEF (which I loved and why I wanted to watch one of her specials) but that was more interesting than it was funny. Still gonna check out her other specials.

Goldeneye (1995) I have more memories playing the game than watching the movie but still a big fan of this flick. Really great characters and locales and I forgot just how comedic it is. So many one-liners! Always feels a little long at the end but worth it to see Boris’ death scene.

Encanto (2021) Late to seeing this and really great! Beautiful and personal and peak musical songs where characters basically ONLY share their personality through song.

……….TELEVISION……….

Ted Lasso (Episode 3.11 to 3.12) I was really dragging my feet about finishing the series as I found season 3 wasn’t as consistently enjoyable to watch. But those last two eps really stuck the landing. Some beats were expected, some were welcome surprises, and there were so many callbacks that were naturally woven in that I was really impressed. Some of the best from the season (and on par with the rest of the series) and I’m really glad I finished it.

……….YOUTUBE……….

Do "gun buybacks" work? by Vox A really succinct breakdown of how the US can do better, and an honest look at why this needs to be a part of a more complex plan. VIDEO

Agnostic TTRPG Prep Method by Map Crow Really fun way to use all the books that you’re not currently using! Watch the vid and then if you like the process you can pick up the bundle HERE (not affiliated, just a fan). VIDEO

The Station Toronto Needs by RMTransit Hey I’m a big fan of trains and I just found this channel. This was my first introduction to them but I’m keen to watch more. More trains! VIDEO

How Editing Creates Comedies That Make You Cry... by The Editing Podcast Another channel I recently came across and I’m keen to watch more. I know very little about editing but am keen to learn more.  VIDEO

……….READING……….

Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber (Page 7 of 285) Clearly I’ve only just started this (thanks to me dragging my feet on The Righteous Mind) but really excited to dig deeper. The prologue is the original essay that inspired the book and that alone already has so much in it! A really great primer and I wasn’t expecting it to lay a lot of the blame at capitalism’s feet so I think it’s gonna be a great read. 

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt (Complete) The first time I read this (at a time when the COVID-19 vaccine was just coming out and folks were choosing not to get it) the book really helped me understand the reasoning behind other people’s choices. For that it was really helpful. This time around, with more time and more political moves behind us, I find it glaringly obvious just how out of touch (or conservative-leaning) this book is. There’s a whole section about how the free market and capitalism is good for healthcare. Wild stuff. If you want more in-depth reviews explaining why this didn’t sit right with me this time around, I found Storygraph had a lot of great write-ups (also Storygraph is great if you want an alternative to the amazon-owned Goodreads).

Delicious in Dungeon Vol. 12 by Ryoko Kui (Complete) Listen I sing this series’ praises every time I read a volume and this is no different. Somehow the story, setting, and characters grow while still remaining connected to the main theme of “what if we ate the monsters we fought in an RPG?” It’s truly top-tier and I can’t stress enough that if you like charming, funny, expertly-illustrated comics, you should try out this series.

The Fade Out by Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, and Elizabeth Dismang (Complete) Really fun read. Old Hollywood murder mystery with a lot of really nuanced characters. The resolution felt a little abrupt and unsatisfying, but without giving anything away I think it was appropriate. I’m also not sure if it was a stylistic choice but all of the women have different shadows than the men. It feels like they’re living in two different worlds but maybe that’s intentional? Still really great.

……….AUDIO……….

PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation by King Gizzard (2023) Loved King Giz’s first foray into metal and this continues that trend. I may not love everything that they do, but I love that they do everything that they do.

……….GAMING……….

Oz: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) The Tuesday Crew is currently up against a young dragon (Dragonette) plaguing a mine (recap HERE) while the Mof1 Crew is divided across Munchkin District and each dealing with their own small crisis. They say never split the party but I think the trouble gets way more interesting when you do.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo) Finally moving on from this after countless hours spent in this world and it’s all bittersweet. Loved the familiar stuff, loved the new stuff, and loved the overall arc of the game. Hopefully the next game in the series goes back to something smaller and focused.

And that’s it. See you in July!

[legion1227]

Invincible Season 2: Review.

Let's hope the wait isn't as long for season 3. 

The first season of Invincible caught the world by storm in 2021. A genuine addition to the superhero TV medium that separated itself from its peers with exceptional storytelling, a memorable cast, a sensational collection of voice actors and actresses, and copious amounts of blood and gore unseen in other superhero shows, animated or live-action. (Except for maybe fellow Amazon Prime Original, The Boys.) 

Two years later, on November 3rd, 2023, Invincible sophomore season picked up where the first one left off. The first episode showcases Mark Grayson, our super-powered 17-year-old known as the titular Invincible, trying to shoulder his responsibility as a hero after the ass-kicking of a lifetime by his father Omni-man, which left countless across the world dead. 

What can I say about this season that hasn't been praised for already? 

Let me get some of the negatives out of the way. There aren't a lot. There are some moments when the animation, mostly when characters are idle and having a conversation, where it looks odd. Sometimes, characters like Mark speak with other superheroes about crucial plot points, and they look a little stilted, where it's slightly distracting. The one other nitpick lies within the hiatus between episodes 4 and 5. Dropping four episodes weekly only to take a 4-month hiatus before releasing the next four episodes was an infuriating decision that killed the hype then. Regardless of the reasoning, I hope for season 3, there is no repeat of that. Did the hiatus hurt the quality of the remaining episodes? Absolutely not. 

Mark's journey as Invincible this season was even more captivating after the traumatic events that transpired last season as he struggles with soooooooooooooooooooo much more. Forced to confront his father once more, other villains of varying degrees of danger, and the looming threat of more Viltrumites coming to Earth has Mark pushed to his ends beyond belief. Coupled with the attempt to juggle a relationship and go to classes regularly at college, you can see how Mark is stretched so thin. Steven Yeun's performance hasn't missed a beat as he captures the spirit of a growing teen going through so much exceptionally. And he's not the only one to hit a bullseye amongst the rest of the VAs. Sandra Oh, J.K. Simmons, Walton Goggins, Jason Mantzoukas, Khary Payton, Clancy Brown, Ben Schwartz, Sterling K. Brown, and the countless others that make up this talented cast brought their A-game to make every character sound earnest and purposeful. The writing was sublime throughout as character motives were established clearly and made sense, the dynamics heroes and villains alike had with one another were remarkable, and the action scenes were as stellar as ever. 

There's almost TOO much to love. I loved in the first episode how the show edges you with when exactly the title card will drop despite everybody constantly setting it up with Invincible's name. I loved Ben Schwartz's alien character Shapesmith, and his bumbling presence throughout. I loved every scene involving Allen the Alien and the testament to the voice direction where for the first time in a voice role, I hear Seth Rogen voicing a character, but it's not distracting. I almost forget he's being voiced by Rogen at times. I loved the inner turmoil Omni-Man faced and the growth he experienced since the last time we saw him. Simmons's delivery of his final line in the last episode captured the sadness and regret perfectly. I loved every single fight scene. Period. Shoutout to Rex during his fight with the Lizard League because I haven't stopped thinking about how he held his own for weeks. I loved the little gags about the animation process or Mark's little interactions with Agent Spider or 'the guy who dresses like a bat.' 

In conclusion, there's simply too much Invincible has gone in its sophomore season that WORKS. It's TOO GOOD. The writing, the animation (mostly), the voicework, the story, the characters...there's a solid reason why this is one of the best superhero shows out there right now. There are a few shows I'm watching right now that come close to the high quality it's reaching. I'm giving Invincible Season 2 a 4.5/5. Depending on how the rest of the competition fares throughout this year, this could be THE show for 2024. 

[docrotten]

SANTA SANGRE (1989) – Episode 259 – Decades Of Horror 1980s

“I’m sorry… I was having an hallucination…” That explains a lot! Join your faithful Grue Crew – Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Jeff Mohr, and guest host Scott Wells – as they take in Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Santa Sangre (1989), a disarming film tattooed with symbolism … including the disarming part.

Decades of Horror 1980s Episode 259 – Santa Sangre (1989)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! Click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

Gruesome Magazine is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of Decades of Horror 1980s and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

 A former circus artist escapes from a mental hospital to rejoin his armless mother – the leader of a strange religious cult – and is forced to enact brutal murders in her name as he becomes “her arms.”

  Directed by: Alejandro Jodorowsky

Writing Credits: 

Original Story by: Alejandro Jodorowsky

Adapted for the Screen by: Roberto Leoni

Screenply by: Alejandro Jodorowsky, Roberto Leoni, Claudio Argento

Producer: Claudio Argento

Selected Cast:

Axel Jodorowsky as Fenix

Blanca Guerra as Concha

Guy Stockwell as Orgo

Thelma Tixou as The Tattooed Woman

Sabrina Dennison as Alma

Adan Jodorowsky as Young Fenix

Faviola Elenka Tapia as Young Alma

Teo Jodorowsky as Pimp

Mary Aranza as Fat Prostitute (as Ma. De Jesus Aranzabal)

Jesús Juárez as Aladin (as Jesus Juarez)

Sergio Bustamante as Monsignor

Gloriella as Rubi (as Gloria Contreras)

S. Rodriguez as The Saint

Zonia Rangel Mora as Trini

Joaquín García Vargas as Box-Office Attendant (as Borolas)

Teo Tapia as Business Man

Edgar E. Jiménez Nava as Monsignor’s Chauffeur (as Edgar E. Jimenez Nava)

Jacobo Lieberman as Monsignor’s Secretary

Héctor Ortega as Doctor (as Hector Ortega Gomez)

Brontis Jodorowsky as Orderly 1

Valérie Crouzet as Orderly 2 (as Valerie Crouzet)

Óscar Serafín Álvarez as Soldier 1 (as Oscar Serafin Alvarez)

Billy Motton as Soldier 2

Hilario ‘Popitekus’ Vargas as Wrestler 1

Guadalupe ‘TNT’ Aguilar as Wrestler 2

Arturo ‘Rinoceronte’ Contreras as Wrestler 3

Gustavo Aguilar Tejada as Beggar

Roger Fayard Arroyo as Beggar

In this episode, Jeff, Chad, and Bill welcome guest-host Scott Wells to review the 1989 “avant-garde surrealistic psychological horror film” from director Alejandro Jodorowsky. While the film is in English, Santa Sangre is a Mexican and Italian co-production that features a truly bizarre tale that has to be seen to be believed. The less said here, the better – it’s so much better to join the Grue-Crew to revisit this unpredictable, gorgeous, must-see mind-bender.

At the time of this writing, Santa Sangre is available to stream from Shudder, AMC+, Screambox, Kanopy, and Tubi, and is available on physical media from Severin in three releases: Blu-ray (2011), 2-Disc Special Edition Blu-ray (2021), and a 4K Ultra HD 4-Disc Limited Edition Collector’s Set (2021). Both 2021 releases are made from a 4K scan of the original negative supervised by the director.

Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode’s film, chosen by Crystal, will be The Boogey Man (1980), directed by Ulli Lommel and featuring the formidable John Carradine … and a mirror? This should be a fun one!

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans – so leave them a message or comment on the Gruesome Magazine Youtube channel, on the Gruesome Magazine website, or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.

Check out this episode!

[greensparty]

Stuff I'm Looking Forward To in May

How is it already May? In addition to being Asian Pacific American Heritage Month as well as Orthodox Easter (5/5), Cinco de Mayo (5/5), Mother's Day (5/12) and Memorial Day (5/27) here is what's on my radar this month:

Movies:

The Idea of You

A Michael Showalter movie is always a highly anticipated for me. I was a huge fan of his comedy group The State and I named his film The Big Sick my #1 Movie of 2017. Since then his films have been mixed (including The Eyes of Tammy Faye) but they are always unique in their own way. His new one is a romantic drama with Anne Hathaway premiering on Amazon Prime Video on 5/2.

Star Wars Episode 1 The Phantom Menace

When the first Star Wars prequel was released in May 1999, there was no way any movie could live up to the expectation. While it's not perfect by any means, it is better than people initially thought. I saw it a few times in the theater in 1999 (including opening day) and in 2012, I saw the 3-D re-release. Without the hype and fanfare it wasn't bad. There's been quite a few revisionist appraisals of Ep 1 in recent years. In addition to select theaters doing a Star Wars Eps 1-9 marathon, Ep 1 is getting a 25th anniversary re-release on 5/3.

Unfrosted

Jerry Seinfeld is a comic genius! Now he's making his directorial feature film debut with a comedy biopic about the creation of the Pop Tart in 1963. With Jerry directing, co-writing, producing and starring I'm on board! Premieres 5/3 on Netflix.

Let It Be

The 1970 documentary about The Beatles recording their final album has been out of print for years and now it has been remastered by Peter Jackson for a Disney+ streaming premiere on 5/8. Fingers crossed a blu-ray follows!

Back to Black 

Amy Winehouse had such a short musical career, but her legacy lives on. After the excellent documentary Amy in 2015, she is now getting the music biopic treatment directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, the director of the criminally underrated Nowhere Boy about the early days of John Lennon. Opens 5/17.

IF

John Krasinski proved himself as a director with A Quiet Place. Now he is back with a fantasy about imaginary friends and it's one of those "everyone is in it" casts! Opens 5/17.

Hit Man

A Richard Linklater film is always a high film priority for me! His new action-comedy has been creating quite a buzz since its festival premiere last year. It's adapted from an article by Skip Hollandsworth and the last adaptation of his from Linklater was Bernie! Star and co-writer Glen Powell has worked with Linklater on Everybody Wants Some!! and Apollo 10 1/2. I could not be more psyched! Limited theatrical release on 5/24 and Netflix premiere on 6/7.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

2015's Mad Max: Fury Road, the 4th Mad Max movie, set the bar pretty high for high octane action. Now George Miller is back with a prequel about Furiosa. Opens 5/24.

Music:

Aerosmith Get Your Wings 50th Anniversary Limited Edition

In March, Aerosmith's second album turned 50! To celebrate the anniversary they are releasing a special edition vinyl on 5/17!

Slash Orgy of the Damned

GN'R guitarist Slash is back with his sixth solo album featuring tons of guest stars including Brian Johnson and Steven Tyler doing blues covers. Album drops 5/17!

Ringo Starr Crooked Boy

Sir Ringo Starr has been on a roll knocking out tons of EPs including EP3 and Rewind Forward. Now he has his 5th EP since 2021 (my God - put all of these EPs together and it'd be a killer album!). This one was written and produced by Linda Perry. After an RSD and digital release last month, a physical release will be on 5/31 (review to come)!

Film Festivals:

Independent Film Festival Boston

My favorite film festival in Boston (and possibly the world) takes place at the best indie cinemas in Boston from May 1-8 (see my preview here).

In a category all its own:

My birthday is on 5/20! 

[romilly-jay]

Lost - and Found! - in a Loop

*** spoilers (I guess, probably) ***

Good job this isn't in anyway attempting to be a timely look at cultural phenomena because this movie landed on Amazon Prime in Feb 2021. (And I discovered, in the Lev Grossman interview linked down near the bottom of this piece, was one of the many productions impacted - in this case, shortened - by the 2020 pandemic.)

Is being timely important for a time loop movie? Okay, clearly facetious question since the answer will be NO for the characters other than, I guess, there would be Better and Worse days in history to be trapped in, but YES for the production, for practical reasons - like, COVID, above - but also for zeitgeist reasons.

This was the movie's Twitter campaign BTW - super cute - it's a time loop movie - every day's the same day! - sort of.

On the subject of timeliness -

Sort of a segue but I was listening earlier to Richard Osman and Marina Hyde discussing the summer's Strictly Come Dancing scandal on The Rest is Entertainment. One factor they covered was that generally it's very unusual for Big Shows to last twenty years and that Strictly has achieved this by changing what it's like as a show, in line with the times, fashions, assumptions etc also changing.

Specifically for Strictly, that has involved the level of difficulty and skill increasing massively. Marina quoted a piece from Michael Hogan in The Guardian that identified that S1 of the show saw a single 10 given by the judges while in S19, there were 69 10s, not because the judges are softer but because the standard of dancing performance has risen - and the toll on participants has risen along with it.

She linked that to a general rise in intensity, perfectionism, and performance pressure - and the driving out of fun - even in supposedly amateur contexts. Feedback loop to social media, ofc.

Well that's incidentally a nice reverse segue back to this movie, because this movie is a sweet celebration of low-key, unimportant magic moments. A love story between the MCs that is also / somewhat / mostly a love story to enjoyment of the everyday.

I'm not saying the movie itself is amateurish (it's not) but it's two teenagers hanging out in small town America. There's no saving the world, there's no super-hero antics, and there's no magic escape from everyday tragedies, either - the lost job, the parent with cancer.

There IS some quantum physics babble and some blurred logic (like, is it okay to take someone else's future hostage? - even if you didn't do it intentionally - just because you're super sad and it would be nice to have someone to help you go through the grieving*?)

*this is, I think, the most cynical possible take - a less cynical version being that the universe somehow figured out that these two were made for each other and held onto HIM until SHE was ready to let go of her difficult day and move forward. Arguably, IRL, she wouldn't have had the choice because time DOESN'T conveniently loop just because someone wishes hard enough that it would - or maybe it does, but not for me... I can understand how someone who has experienced that exact thing would want to stay quiet about it.

The point is - best not to get too Hard Science critical, but taking the story on its own terms, I liked it. And *especially* the shift in emphasis from his story to hers in the final act of the movie.

Here's a review by a real film critic - they also seemed to like it:

The movie was written and I think exec produced by SF writer Lev Grossman, who gave a nice interview about getting it made (below).

He also cameoed in the movie as "rescued from bird poop" guy - and talks charmingly about his experience of being in front of the camera as a little anecdote at the end of the same interview.

BTW having seen that the clothes in the promo poster were the same ones as the Lev Grossman scene, I wondered briefly about whether I'd forgotten the two MCs wearing the same clothes all the time. Flicked back to Amazon. They didn't! Then, ofc, I realised that it would have been weird if they did. The entire point was that they were the only two people making different choices during the course of that single day. What simpler visual cue for us than changing the clothes they're wearing on different versions of that same day?

Amusing (to me) side note - I tried to tell one of my lecturers about this movie and he was HORRIFIED by the cuteness of the central concept, that the key to the time loop dilemma was linked in a non-metaphorical way to the movie's title. I didn't and don't find that horrifying or disappointing but rather charming and a little delightful. Oh, you smuggled the answer to the puzzle right there in front of me in the actual title and I feel comforted that your characters are taking joy and hope from small things like - little girls jumping after soap bubbles in the back yard or a sea eagle grabbing a fish from the lake. This is in keeping with our respective tastes (and, for all I know, our respective characters) and without question relates to whatever internal factors explain why he loves The Road and I love cosy things.

[iamnotawomanimagod]

2022 Year in Review

I'm so late, pretend I did this like five weeks ago.

I was tagged by the incomparable @lucerants for a 2022 Year in Review!! Here we go! I'm also gonna talk about 'em all so this is gonna get long!

Top 5 Movies you watched this year:

1 - The Medium (2021)

This is an excellent and disturbing Thai horror film about possession. The last thirty minutes are such pure insanity, all I could do was stare at the screen with my mouth gaping. Highly recommended if you love horror.

2 - Encanto (2022)

What a delightful and beautiful film! I loved the themes of family, being true to yourself, and the importance of acceptance. The music absolutely slaps - if "We Don't Talk About Bruno" didn't get stuck in your head this year, did you really live??

3 - The Fallout (2021)

This was one of the first Jenna Ortega films I saw, and I really enjoyed it. She and Maddie Ziegler had great chemistry and did a really good job of portraying their new-friends-but-also-maybe-more relationship. And it was a truly heartbreaking and very real depiction of what being a teenager in our mass shooting saturated society must feel like.

4 - Spiderman: No Way Home

I'm not really into Marvel, as a rule, but I had to check this movie out since they brought Tobey Maguire back. I was surprised at how emotional I got when story lines from over a decade ago got some closure, especially since that closure came with a lot of empathy for the villains. It was a really fun, meta, fan-servicey movie that made me smile, and even tear up a bit at the end.

5 - Everything, Everywhere, All at Once

Technically I watched this movie at the very beginning of 2023, but I'm going to add it here now because I think it's a movie that truly defined and reflected the feeling of being alive in the early 2020s so well. It was so brilliantly written and shot, just an absolute phantasmagorical roller-coaster of action, comedy, and incredibly heartfelt emotion. I had only heard good things going in, and this film absolutely lived up to my high expectations.

Top 5 TV shows you watched this year

1 - Station Eleven

This show changed me. It's truly one of the most beautiful, well-written, gentle, and human stories I've ever witnessed. It took a setting and premise I thought I was done with forever - post-apocalypse fiction - and made something profoundly impactful. Get the tissues. Prepare to feel everything.

2 - Interview with the Vampire

This was such a delightful adaptation, especially in the ways they changed it. Jacob Anderson as Louis captured the character in a way that brings incredible nuance, even more so in his position as a black gay man in the early 20th century. Sam Reid was an electric and terrifyingly appealing Lestat. And Bailey Bass brought Claudia to life and managed to perfectly portray her various life stages, even as she remains ageless. It's just a really, really good interpretation of a story that I already loved, so it was a joy to watch.

3 - House of the Dragon

I love messy blondes, I love tragic love stories, I love women and their complex and tender and vitriolic relationships. Also dragons. I'm interacting with the fandom via a ten-foot pole, and am very pleased that two of my most treasured mutuals (Luce, Rosy <3) were along for the ride with me for s1.

4 - The Wilds (s2)

I'll never forgive Amazon for giving this show the axe. I'll also never forgive the fandom for reacting to the boys so negatively. S3 would've been incredible. But! I'm glad that we got s2, and got to see more from the Unsinkable Eight. I'm glad we got to meet the boys and learn their stories. I'll always be impressed and grateful for the way this show handled a storyline about sexual assault between young men. And even though there are still so many unanswered questions and we needed an s3, I'm glad that pretty much all of the mysteries introduced in s1 were wrapped up by the end. Better to have loved those castaways and lost them than never loved them at all!

5 - Our Flag Means Death

This show was such a salve - a joyful little pirate sitcom that played on sitcom tropes in a way that made every episode a delight. It was funny, charming, and beautifully shot. I'm so excited for season two!

Top 5 DnD Campaigns you watched this year

The biggest shift in my life this year, especially in terms of media I consume, was my discovery of DnD actual play shows. If I wasn't actively watching a TV show this year, D20 was on in the background. I watched these campaigns multiple times each. I am obsessed.

1 - Critical Role's EXU: Calamity

One of the most heart-wrenching stories I've ever seen, beautifully told and acted by an incredible team of DnD players. The ending is so bittersweet and perfect. I caught the finale live and it wrecked me, I spent the last hour of it weeping. (It was also 1am and the end of a six-hour marathon.) What a masterpiece. The Bronze Ring endures.

2 - Dimension 20: Fantasy High Sophomore Year

This is my favorite campaign by the folks at Dimension 20. The fact that it's live, so delightfully chaotic, and has the lowest production value of any other season makes it so charming and comforting to me. Plus Kalina is easily a Top 3 D20 villain.

3 - D20: A Crown of Candy

Coming up at a close second, A Crown of Candy was the first D20 season I finished. I binged it in about two days (didn't watch the Adventuring Parties at first, though) and felt so thoroughly ripped from the world when it was over that I kinda mourned a family of candy people for like two days straight. It's such a fun, technicolor, sugary-sweet world - but the plot and characters are so complex, so dark, that I was completely swept away by their story. It's just a really well-built and clever world, and it features some of my favorite D20 characters ever (Amethar, Saccarhina, Lapin, and Calroy.)

4 - D20: The Seven

Since The Seven is set in the same world as Fantasy High, I went in with really steep expectations. I was definitely not disappointed. The vibes and relationships between all of the women at the table is so genuine and infectious. The story is touching, but there's so much chaos and so many shenanigans from the characters that there's also so much to laugh about. It's another comfort rewatch, for sure.

5 - D20: Misfits and Magic

Aabria as a GM is always a good time for me, and I really loved seeing this cast parody the Harry Potter universe (and associated "kids at magic boarding school" trope) with such affection, but also incisive criticism. It's funny, light-hearted, and also really fun to watch Brennan be a PC, and get to bounce off the other players as a single personality. (Evan + K = 4Ever)

Top 5 Songs of this year

(I'm not gonna take this from Spotify, although all of these songs were in my top 20)

1 - "It's Called: Freefall" by Rainbow Kitten Surprise

This song did it all for me in 2022. It was a comfort song, a pump-up song, a breakdown song, and a sing-a-long and dance song. I don't know why it struck such a chord with me - I'd enjoyed plenty of other RKS songs before, but never on this level. It just resonates. It was my top song of 2022 on Spotify, and given that the four next songs are all by Halsey, that's saying something.

2 - "Whispers" by Halsey

After seeing this song live, it swiftly reentered my top 5 from IICHLIWP. It's an intense experience even just as a studio track, but the way Halsey sang it in person elevated the song to something even more painfully relatable and real. It's a song that's followed me into 2023, that's for sure.

3 - "Bounce Man" by Twenty One Pilots

I didn't like most of Scaled and Icy, but this song was a huge exception. It was my go-to whenever I needed a pick-me-up. That addictively catchy chorus, the fun beat, the lyrics being hopeful in the face of a scary situation (classic TOP) - that's a combination that hits just right on a tough day.

4 - "Fucks Me Up" by Anthony Green

On the other side of the coin, this song will make you cry on that same tough day, but you'll feel better afterwards. My husband and I share a love for Saosin and Circa Survive, mostly because of Anthony Green's incredible vocals. This entire album is gorgeous, but this song (and the last verse in particular) - well, it fucks me up!

5 - "Tree House" by Alex G feat Emily Yacina

This one is sweet, fun, and calming, and is going to remain in my rotation for a long time to come. It reminds me of my best friend (she did show it to me, but it'd remind me of her even if she hadn't,) and makes me feel so cozy and safe. It's just nice. :)

Top 5 albums of this year

1 - If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power by Halsey

For the second year in a row, this album owned my entire life. Most of my top ten on my Spotify Wrapped was devoted to this album. I still go buckwild when I heard "Easier than Lying" and it's my most played song on Spotify EVER, which includes like five years of music-listening. Getting to see most of these songs live (and then some, that 2hr set was crazy) made for one of the best nights of my entire life. It was an emotional experience bordering on spiritual, which is not a place I normally visit. It's Halsey's masterpiece, a perfect marriage of her abilities as a lyricist combined with some of the best production they've ever had. I just love it so goddamn much.

2 - Boom. Done. by Anthony Green

This album is a beautiful, heart-wrenching, honest reflection on addiction, recovery, and trauma. It's sonically very soothing, but lyrically absolutely crushing, which makes for a very tender experience. My husband and I spent most of the end of the year with these songs on rotation when were listened to music together, so this album is going to hold a special place in my heart for a long time.

3 - HOLY FVCK by Demi Lovato

I feel Demi has always been destined to make an album like this. Their voice is perfect for rock music, and the honesty in her lyrics (which reflect her very difficult life experiences) just work so much better with guitars and drums behind them than snyth beats. I didn't love every song on this album, but it's definitely my favorite work by Demi thus far.

4 & 5. Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (Live at Webster Hall) and Badlands (Live at Webster Hall) by Halsey

Although these are two very different albums, I love them for the same reason, which is that they both are records of Halsey performing live. I truly think live performances are where they shine the brightest, and many of the live versions of these songs have completely replaced the studio versions for me.

Top 5 fictional characters of this year

1 - Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower (House of the Dragon)

As Luce said, you cannot separate them, it causes wars. I love them both so much. And I'm gonna love and hate watching them continue to tear each other apart.

2 - Louis de Pointe du Lac (Interview with the Vampire)

Jacob Anderson just killed the fuck out of this role, and made me appreciate Louis in a way I never have before.

3 - Adaine Abernant (Fantasy High)

I actually can't put into words how much I love Adaine, or why. If you know, you know.

4 - Kirsten Raymonde (Station Eleven)

I'm always a sucker for a fierce, protective woman with a metric fuckton of baggage, who still manages to maintain a heart of gold in the midst of a horrible situation. Kirsten is all of that, and so, so much more.

5 - Lizzie Saltzman (Legacies)

I just think she's a really fun extension on Caroline Forbes' character, as her heir apparent, and she was often the funniest and most emotionally engaging character on the show. Plus, y'know, Hizzie.

Top 5 games you played this year

The Quarry

The Mortuary Assistant

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

The Long Dark

Martha is Dead

5 Positive Things that happened, no matter how small!

1 - I got to see Halsey in concert at my favorite venue!

2 - I moved to a bigger place!

3 - I went and visited my best friend in October!

4 - I got a new job!

5 - I spent a lot of really wonderful time on this website making dumb jokes, crying over shows, and chatting with all of you! <3

Since I'm so very, very late in posting this, I'm not gonna tag anyone, but if you wanna tell me about something you enjoyed last year, feel free!!

[davidmariottecomics]

Comics Job Security

Hello! 

This week, Amazon gutted Comixology. Roughly 75% of staff was laid off in one fell swoop, with the remaining staff kept on with the knowledge that they are there to "mop up" and then will be let go. I've said it before, and we all live in the world and should be aware of this anyway, but Amazon sucks. And this is the latest in a series of bad practices that they've had. 

Also this week, the HarperCollins Union hit their 50th day on strike. One of those "post your cancellable comics take" tweets did the rounds over on Twitter. I questioned what, if anything, ever happened with all the creators who took money from Substack and said they'd be following up with the company in light of the amount of transphobia, nationalism, fearmongering, and misinformation spread through their distribution system. In publishing at large, there's also a lot going on in terms of the relationship of the author/editor and the reviewer, particularly on Tiktok and conversations around the general disconnect between decorum and actual professional behavior in the industry. And across the larger landscape, there's a lot of job instability happening in entertainment/tech--from massive layoffs at big tech companies to continued layoffs and restructuring (often merger based) at some of the media conglomerates to the lingering concerns about increased use of AI. 

This week, I want to talk about what that all means on a creator level and how you might be able to help cushion yourself from some of those blows. 

State of the Industry Just using publicly available information, we can say 2022 saw a weaker year across the entertainment industry as a whole. Bloomberg reported it as the worst year in like 3 decades for some of the major media companies as the split between the idea of theaters, traditional TV, and streaming become more complicated with things being reopened and, generally, some amount of fatigue over streaming's big swing changes and increased segmentation. And this will always matter to comics because Warner Bros owns DC, Disney owns Marvel, and various other comics companies are owned by other big media corps. 

In the book industry, overall book sales are understood to have fallen by about 6% last year. However, some categories still saw growth, one of which being adult graphic novels (which includes a lot of manga). That's an especially important number given that the previous year, 2021, may have been the greatest year of comic sales on record. Which is also very interesting given that comics sales records are getting increasingly hard to track. 

So overall, it's kind of a weird landscape. While a lot of comics and book publishers themselves might in okay shape after last year, their parent companies might not be doing so hot. And when the parent company isn't doing so good and is looking to tighten purse strings, publishing is an easy target. But also, maybe publishing is in a good place because while book sales were softer in 2022, books remain one of the last bastions of physical media (go to your local Target, chances are GOOD that you now have a book section in what used to be the Movies and Music section--not that they're all gone, but that the ration has inverted). 

Overall, I can't predict where publishing itself is going, but I think these factors are important to keep in mind, particularly when we're seeing things like the Comixology layoffs. 

On Cancellation In terms of staying afloat and secure in this industry, a lot of that for a creator comes down on the personal level. To that end, I wanted to talk briefly about being "cancelled". Projects get cancelled, people don't. Everyone knows that J.K. Rowling is a transphobe who has decided to double-down on her public persona being an advocate for anti-transness. Folks have extensively gone over her works and pointed out when they are transphobic, racist, and otherwise inherently engaging in the language of oppression against different groups. By all means, were "being cancelled" a thing, she would and should be. And yet, the upcoming game based on her works (and based specifically on one of the most antisemitic aspects of her work) is apparently the top selling game on Steam of the year so far even though it won't release for a few more weeks. 

There are also sooooooo many other celebrities we can look at, some of whom have not just been convicted in the court of public opinion, but LITERALLY CONVICED OF THEIR CRIMES who, uhh, lemme check my notes, continue to receive regular work, tour, and otherwise be hyped up and make money. The good news for dirt bags, I guess, is you can be a dirt bag and suffer relatively little punishment for it as long as there are people who enjoy your work, even if the work itself is also compromised by your dirt bag views. 

Relatedly, I think when we're having the conversation of "cancellable opinions" and using that language instead of, lightly controversial opinions or hot takes or whatever, it normalizes the idea that both "cancelling" is a thing and that it doesn't/shouldn't actually have any effect. And as a result, it makes accountability that much harder. 

So, no, you aren't going to get cancelled in comics. But there are a number of people who are in hiring positions who are paying attention to creators' behavior and who may want to hold those who are acting poorly accountable for their behavior. And I think that standard, largely, is like "hey, is this person fearmongering against a group of people" or "acting in a criminal manner" or "being a bully" or "closely associating with a person who does one of those things". So you should probably try to be a cool person to avoid losing work for being a dirt bag. 

Positive Considerations to Make

With that all understood, not being a dirt bag does seem like a pretty good way to ensure future work. But with the changing landscape, that's not enough. What else can you do to keep yourself in a good place? 

1. Be informed about this stuff. A big part of my personally following up about Substack is I still see a lot of people gravitating toward it and signing up and issuing their newsletters there. I understand that some of those people are being paid by Substack to be there--some are even receiving health benefits. I also know a lot of folks are defaulting to Substack because they've seen other people--including those who got paychecks from them--be successful there. It's similar to Patreon, right, where at least in the US comics community, it kind of blew up to be the standard quickly, and while there are definitely people using alternatives like pixiv fanbox or Subscribestar, there's some safety in name recognition of the platform, regardless of it's problems... This is not to say that I won't work with people who have a Substack, just that to be informed, it's worth pursuing and seeing if there was follow-up from people who theoretically were being courted and had some amount of power in that dynamic to make a change and whether or not anything came of it. I'll also say, Trung Le Nguyen shared a public Patreon post about declining Substack's offer that I think is worth reading. 

2. Be considerate about who you work for. I feel for the people who've lost their jobs at Comixology. I am in solidarity with the folks on strike at Harper. I inherently dislike their parent companies (Amazon and News Corp) and unfortunately find those companies disrespect for their employees unsurprising. Which is not to blame the folks at Comixology or at at Harper--there are many lovely people working there and fighting the good fight within the larger corporate megastructure. But between, say, not crossing the picket line and signing a deal with Harper while the workers are on strike to, say, using the Creator Resource publisher page to check in on the latest about various comics publishers as organized and vetted by your peers, knowing who you're dealing with can go a long way for you. 

3. Be considerate for those you work with. This is one of those things that gets repeated again and again, but comics is a collaborative medium. You can point at all the ways and times that isn't true, but, generally speaking, comics are often not made on an individual level. And a lot of us have very different takes on what behavior is acceptable--some folks are very comfortable producing NSFW work and some aren't, some are open with their political views and some only speak up occasionally, some people are very private and some are very open. It does you good to know the comfort levels of your peers and collaborators because sometimes a misstep might come off as a larger slight than it's meant to be, which is always unfortunate. 

4. Last and not least, don't buy into NFTs or AI or whatever the latest criminal "art" fad is. Y'know, that one seems pretty easy, but boy howdy. Just avoid that stuff. 

5. If you write a blog about the actions of various companies, know you may be putting yourself in a precarious position in the future, but feel secure in standing by your morals and the facts. 

And, again, a lot of that all folds in to if you act nicely and respectfully and professionally, other people in the profession will meet you at that level, which can be helpful when things are uncertain. You certainly can find success in comics outside of the industry, and different people have different standards of what they're looking for, but not being a jerk is a good thing. 

I think that wraps up this week. Next week: The brandification of nerd culture, or how Funko became the new Band-Aid. 

What I enjoyed this week: Abbott Elementary (TV show), Blank Check (Podcast), Honkai Impact (Video game), House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (Book), Kaguya-Sama: Love is War (Manga), Drip Drip by Paru Itagaki (Manga, I actually read this a few weeks ago and think I just forgot to mention quite enjoying it), Coraline (Movie), 17-21 by Tatsuki Fujimoto (Manga, I've only read the first story so far, but quite looking forward to the rest), Dungeons & Daddies (Podcast)  New Releases this week (1/18/2022): Sonic the Hedgehog: Scrapnik Island #4 (Editor)

New releases next week (1/25/2022): Godzilla Rivals: Round One TPB (Didn't work on this, but plugging Zilla)

Final Order Cutoff (1/23/2023): Sonic the Hedgehog #58 (Editor) 

Announcements: Arizona Comic Book Arts Festival - 2/25! It's a one day comic-focused event in Phoenix, AZ. Tickets are only $10. Attending artists include me, Becca (who once again is dropping some new stuff on their Patreon, see below), Mitch Gerads, Steve Rude, John Layman, Henry Barajas, Jay Fotos, Jeff Mariotte, Marcy Rockwell, John Yurcaba, Andrew MacLean, Alexis Zirrit, Meredith McClaren, James Owen, Ryan Cody, and many more! Come and see us! Becca'll have some very cool new merch, too!

Becca contributed to Aradia Beat, a Magical Girl Anthology Magazine! It's now on Kickstarter! It's both a tribute to 90s magical girl stories and part of a larger project about the overall preservation of magical girl stories! 

We're also waiting to hear back on if Becca got in to another con on their own, but may have another update soon. 

And finally, happy Lunar New Year! 

Pic of the Week: This is just our little banner pulled from the AZCAF site! It came out really well! See ya there in just over a month! 

[melody-everbelle]

I posted 1,068 times in 2022

That's 1,068 more posts than 2021!

100 posts created (9%)

968 posts reblogged (91%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@ponku-po

@peekychu

@mediumsizetex

@sidruni

@horsewizardart

I tagged 107 of my posts in 2022

#nathan chen - 39 posts

#artist on tumblr - 32 posts

#nathan chen x reader - 31 posts

#my ramblings - 26 posts

#mlp fim - 24 posts

#my little pony - 22 posts

#x reader fanfiction - 17 posts

#nathan chen x you - 15 posts

#nathan chen x y/n - 15 posts

#nathan chen imagines - 15 posts

Longest Tag: 45 characters

#wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

I recently heard that Hasbro decided to team up with Basic Fun! to bring back LPS toys. Like most of the community, I am hoping that they’ll bring back G2 LPS, but at the same time, I feel like they could bring back G1 LPS, since Basic Fun! has been rereleasing toys from the 80s and 90s (Ex. G1 MLP, Pound Puppies, etc.), though since G2 LPS is popular in the LPS community, I’m definitely leaning towards the former.

No matter what the outcome is, at least I’m happy I get to relive my childhood again so I don’t have to worry about getting LPS from eBay or Amazon (I’m still doing it, but it’s so much nicer to get it from stores.). Also, I heard that they’ll be released as early as 2024, which is two years from now, but I have patience. 🥺

Thank you Hasbro for bringing back old LPS. ❤

9 notes - Posted November 20, 2022

#4

I don’t think I’ve shared any of my LPS art on here before, but I’m going to do it anyway because why not.

This is Coffee, my LPS sona. She’s basically a more playful version of me. She will be my LPS mascot when I make LPS videos.

Yes, Coffee is an actual LPS and not custom-made. Her number is 1444.

And yes, you can draw her! You don't have to, but fan art of my OCs is appreciated!

10 notes - Posted June 23, 2022

#3

I drew this last month in honor of Friendship is Magic's 12th anniversary, which is tomorrow as of writing this description XD Anyway, that aside, this show means so much to me. I think this show is what made me appreciate the MLP franchise as a whole (Yes, I did like MLP as a kid before FiM, though I didn't really appreciate it that much until now). I honestly wouldn't have aspired to be an artist if it weren't for this show. There's a lot more about this show that have impacted my life, but I think I'll link to this journal just to save time: https://www.deviantart.com/darbypop1/journal/How-MLP-FiM-Changed-My-Life-816602072

Oh yeah, since this is a redraw, here’s the old version of the drawing if you’re curious: https://www.deviantart.com/darbypop1/art/MLP-Ends-At-Twilight-Begins-At-Dawn-857637010

10 notes - Posted October 9, 2022

#2

Here we have Coffee taking a bath with her friend Squeaky the Seal! This drawing is based off of the LPS "Squeaky Clean Pets" set.

11 notes - Posted June 23, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

This was actually one of the first times I actually drew the squeakoids from ACNH, so I apologize if they look a bit weird in this. 😅

I actually drew this about a couple of months ago when I was stressed out. In case you’re wondering, the brown kitten in the middle is my LPS sona, Coffee.

12 notes - Posted June 23, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[elfwreck]

From the article:

At issue in the case are more than 418,000 units of certain children’s sleepwear garments, carbon monoxide detectors, and hair dryers that were sold to consumers on Amazon.com through the FBA program between approximately 2018 and 2021.

For the purposes of this proceeding, the parties stipulated that the products posed a substantial product hazard under CPSA Sections (a) and (j), after CPSC testing found that:

The children’s sleepwear garments did not meet the requirements for children’s sleepwear as required by the Flammable Fabrics Act.

The carbon monoxide detectors failed to detect CO2 gas and failed to alarm in its presence.

The hair dryers lacked required immersion protection required by applicable commission rules.

In its response to Complaint Counsel’s allegations, Amazon argued that the company, under its FBA program, is not a “distributor” of the products at issue but rather a “third-party logistics provider”....

Amazon tried to claim that since it doesn't have the items in its warehouses, it can't be a "distributor." The Commission threw that out, and mentioned:

Further, the Commission emphasized the “far-reaching control Amazon exercises in its Fulfilled by Amazon program,” including:

Screening products for eligibility in the FBA program

Communicating directly with customers and providing live customer support for FBA purchases

Determining whether products may be returned or exchanged by customers and the disposition of returned merchandise

Controlling communications between FBA participants and customers, requiring sellers to communicate exclusively through Amazon’s online platform

Exercising control over pricing and payments by enforcing pricing rules, processing customer payments, and authorizing refunds and exchanges

Amazon doesn't just coordinate between buyers & sellers; it puts a lot of constraints on what can be bought and how it can be sold, and that made it a distributor.

(Etsy and eBay are likely "third-party logistics providers." Other than having a few rules about what can't be sold on their platform, they don't mess with prices, quality levels, returns, or refunds.)

Note that this was focused only on product safety, not the rest of Amazon's shitty business practices. But it means they're liable for unsafe products, which means they'll have to do a LOT more review of third-party products selling through their site. I don't know what it means for mislabeled products or wrong-thing-delivered cases, but it probably at least means "easier to get refunds for those."

...If we're really lucky, they're now liable for false advertising claims for all those "the listing said this was red; I received a green dress" cases.

god i hope the cpsc takes the shot. i think this would dramatically change their entire business model. amazon makes so much money by selling defective or mislabeled or just plain dangerous products and then faces little liability because this stuff is actually being sold by random third-party sellers that don't get vetted at all and can be hard to prosecute because they're in china or wherever. this is a big part of what makes amazon so powerful and it would be good for everyone if they were forced to bear more responsibility for the damages caused by the crap available on their website

[news-buzz]

Review: Amazon’s 2024 Kindle Paperwhite makes the best e-reader a little better

A fast Kindle? From left to right: 2024 Paperwhite, 2021 Paperwhite, and 2018 Paperwhite. Note not just the increase in screen size, but also how the screen corners get a little more rounded with each release. Credit: Andrew Cunningham I don’t want to oversell how fast the new Kindle is, because it’s still not like an E-Ink screen can really compete with an LCD or OLED panel for smoothness of…

[wordforwordbiblecomic]

NOVEMBER: Christmas Gifts, Portugese Comics, Faith Channel and more

NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER

This month:

Christmas Shopping

Portuguese Bible Comics

Great Commission Card Game Update

The Coloring Book and Acts needs your review

Patreon Hangout

+ more

Christmas Shopping!

The Word for Word Bible Comics make a great Christmas gift. And this year we’ve even got two titles all about Christmas!

Head to our Christmas Shop to see cards, t-shirts and hoodies.

Don’t forget you can save 25% on orders over £50 with discount code FIFTYQUIDPLUS

The Christmas Coloring Factbook

This coloring book features illustrations from the nativity of Jesus alongside historical and biblical facts about Christmas.

£3.99 for one or Just £15.99 for 5

The Christmas Nativity : Word for Word Bible Comic: NIV Translation

The Christmas Nativity has been told and retold probably more than any other story in existence, but many are unbiblical. Here we are presenting the story of Jesus' birth and childhood from the gospels of Luke (1:1-2:52 and 3:23-38), Matthew (1:1-2:23) and John (1:1-14) as one intertwined chronological narrative.

£8.99 FOR ONE, or Just £29.99 for 5

Verso a Verso A Bíblia em Quadrinhos

In 2021 we licenced the rights for BV Books in Brazil to create the Word for Word Bible Comic in Portuguese. I just discovered that they recently launched and are now available and called: Verso a Verso A Bíblia em Quadrinhos

https://www.bibliaversoaverso.com.br/

Great Commission Game: Update

We’ve sent out all the books to backers who have filled in their surveys now, and we’ve been working hard on the game to get it ready for playtesting.

About two weeks ago we went through every card ensuring the abilities were balanced and reflected what they represented well. As a result, we are even more confident that the game will be really fun and get you thinking about real church life.

As an example, the Trouble card “Gossip” used to “Return the member with the lowest Recover Cost to the World”. Now it increases the amount of health damage you take from facedown/hidden Troubles within the church. This makes it more thematic but also interesting as you can get rid of it like normal or you can afford to bear it for a while as long as you don’t have any hidden trouble (sin, conflict etc) in your church, giving you options and strategies on how and when to deal with the issue.

We are printing out a test draft of the cards as we speak and hope to have the full game available for backers to access on Tabletop Simulator in the next week or two. We playtested all the new cards last night and it’s working really nicely. Keep an eye out on your KS update and the Discord channel which will spring to life at that time.

FaithChannel Advert

There’s a relatively new website called FaithChannel, which is like a Christian Netflix that’s growing in popularity. I recently had a meeting with the owners and plan to run adverts on there in the next couple of months to see if we can reach more people with news about the Word for Word Bible Comic.

Acts and The Christmas Coloring Factbook need your Review

The Christmas Coloring Factbook launched in the shops yesterday but has no reviews or even star ratings online yet. If you liked this book and the Book of Acts, please head to Amazon and Goodreads and add your star rating.

https://www.amazon.com/Acts-Apostles-Bible-Comic-Translation/dp/1914299140 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205656466-acts-of-the-apostles

https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Coloring-Factbook-Amadeus-Pillario/dp/1914299159https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/212187699-christmas-coloring-factbook

Patreon Hangout

Soon we will be having a video call with our patrons. It’s a chance to hang out, ask questions and discuss what books are coming on the horizon. If you’d like to be there and you’re not a patron, start supporting today and you can be at our Patron exclusive online meetups.

Other offers

Follow our Social media outlets for updates on offers and unique sale items as we get close to Christmas

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Reddit- https://www.reddit.com/user/Word4WordBibleComic

Tumblr - http://wordforwordbiblecomic.tumblr.com/

Prayer Requests

Gospels into Prisons: We are partnering again with the OPTIM charity to get many Bible Comics and gospels into UK prisons. This is being augmented by our Kickstarter backers too. Please pray this goes smoothly and God’s Word is life-changing for these inmates! FaithChannel Advert: Please pray this venture is successful and that the video I create for the ad works well with the audience.

Portuguese Versions: Please pray the Portuguese title takes off in a big way. The Action Bible has been having a resurgence in popularity recently and it would be great to get on that wave!

Other Languages: We’ve had slow progress selling the rights to other languages so far, please pray with me that this Portuguese version will be successful and be the first domino in releasing many other languages around the world!

[popculturebuffet]

Finally for the Nickelodeon live action originals, favorite character from the Nickelodeon live action originals from 2007-15 (the last set you saw before leaving live action Nick): iCarly 2007, True Jackson VP, The Troop, Big Time Rush (where the more cartoonier vibe can be attributed from being created by Scott Fellows, who also helmed Ned's Declassified which was also a cartoon but in live action), Victorious, Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventures, How to Rock, and Bella and the Bulldogs? And as a bonus, I’ll throw in Fairly OddParents Fairly Odder and iCarly 2021 (which thankfully has no involvement from Dan Schneider this time so there’s a much safer environment for that era of the franchise) due to being based on an older IP (only didn’t mention Sam & Cat since you confirmed you never saw it) despite both being on Paramount Plus instead of Nickelodeon.

Okay so I haven't seen fairly odder. Heard it blows and we're better off with new wish. Also haven't seen how to rock, forgot to omit that one. And I did see sam and cat. So.. be ready for that

ICarly (Original): Spencer. Jerry Trenor is genuinely talented and gets to show it off even more now he's in the main cast of a show instead of a shouty weirdo on the side. I mean he's no less loud, but spencer also gets depth being both a good guardian to carly and a relatable adult as someone who also works in a career with weird hours and dosen't have many irl adult friends.

The show itself is pretty good early on, and was one of the few live action shows I watched reguarly after leaving nick behind rather than just because it happened to be on. Being the succesor to drake and josh with what younger me THOUGHT was less crutely helps. I mean there's way more than I remembered as I found out watching Quinton Reviews massive look at the series, but it's a bit more measured. Except with Sam. But while Sam's cruelty's a bit much the cartoony nature of the series helps me mostly look over it, and the timing is well done with a talented young cast.

And.. yeah like Drake and Josh it's hard to go back to. Not as hard as quinton's long retrospective exists, but Janette McCurdy's book, which I still need to read, was covered in the last part of his look at sam and cat and was so horrifying it took him a while to get that part done. The short version is janette had an abusive overly religoius stage mom that gave her a severe eating disorder and body dismorphia. The book is really good from all I hear and worth buying. Schinder was laso a nightmare on set, implied to be creepy with Janette, and had a lot of creepy weird sexual content in the show. So while the show ITSLEF isn't terrible it's hard to go back to knowing one of it's main stars suffered so horribly. Just to keep this out of the way she went through the same on sam and kat, being denied directing an episode and wasnt happy to be there to begin with.

True Jackson VP: I didn't see this one often, though it was okay.

The Troop: Wish i'd seen this one more as what I saw of it was a solid monster of the week show, mixing ghostbusters with high school angst. Always a good move

Big Time Rush: Carlos. Carlos Pena Vega is a wonderful man, and a great comedic actor. I only saw this one on and off, but I did seek it out and even once got ribbed by my sister when she found out I watched it on amazon prime back when it was on there. And it's for the reason you went out of your way to point out: it's from the same creator of ned's declassified, has the same vibe and thus it's like catnip for me. The quality is kept up, the goofiness ramped up since the new setting means our heroes have less restirctions and not being a teacher their adult figure can shout at them more and call them dogs. It even coined the term swifted. Or if it didn't it told me it exists. It's pure fun. I like ned more for it's slightly deeper cast and nostlagia's sake, but big time was a more than worthy followup with it's own talented cast that thankfully also didn't involve child abuse.

Victorious: It used to be robbie but now i'm not so sure. I do like his actor though who now throws nick themed raves and seems like just.. the most awesome guy. Another one of the quinton reviews trinity and this one I saw more of but never really glommed onto. I like the cast once again and i'm happy most of them are doing pretty well, but I never really got into this one.

Bucket and Skinner's Epic Adventures: Aloe their arch enemy who reminds me of Ben Stiller's roll in heavyweights, and discount ben stiller mixed with lars from the same movie is a good time. This is one I remember mostly just for being so bad it's good to me. It had all the tropes: two idiot heroes, girl one of them's into whose roll is basically just girl, douchey rival, wise mentor, that sorta thing. It's so cliche and stock it wraps around to being hilarious.

Sam and Kat: Goomer. He's the best. I saw a few episodes back in the day, and it was... just not.. good. At all. And given the mess behind the scenes, how thrown together it was it was... yeah. You can tell on screen. This should not have existed and Nick shoudl've known better and i've noticed less spinoffs after this. Danger Force is the only one I can think of and at least seems to wrap up the NSU on a high note.

ICarly2021: Spencer. Again. Forever and always. I haven't seen a ton of this but what I saw I liked, a decent reboot that brigns the series back in style and does it's best to fill the void janette left behind (not that I blame her as her decision was entirley for her own perosnal health and leaving acting was a good thing for her) with new characters and a solid update. I wish it hadn't ended on a cliffhanger and hope someway we get a reunion movie to fix that. Otherwise it seems like a more than worthy addition to the canon and a way for the cast that did return to take ownership of their biggest roles back.

[etlu-yume]

Hearing similar stories to socialjusticeissue's problems with Google Play right from the get-go when Apple Music was released. People losing the music they'd downloaded from Apple Music, or itunes, or even in some cases their own original music that they'd made themselves.

After hearing that I never wanted apple music to even remotely TOUCH my music collection, as difficult as they are trying to make that with the way the "music" app works now (sigh. I need to review music library app options again)

Buy the music where you can; some groups are making special versions of tracks or even hidden tracks you can ONLY get on physical media (... okay or probably through other less-legal means. But that's another story).

What bothers me the most is where some albums, like for example Halsey's Manic album has 16 songs on spotify. The standard phsyical version I can get from a local retailer, only has 13 songs.

Same thing with Yungblood's Weird! album. Spotify has 14 songs, physical release only has 12 songs (aaand is no longer listed on the local retailer. There's a Vinyl, but it's out of stock and $85. Owch.)

It gets even more frustrating because - at least in terms of 'online retailers that count towards local charting systems' - the ONLY one that ARIA will support for Australian sales is iTunes. (A few others - bandcamp, etc. But last I looked, places like Amazon don't, and well Google Play... we know what happened to Google Play, right?)

So basically tl;dr

• Support the bands you like and buy physical media where you can • Buy physical where possible but if digital is all you can do, do that. (Listing for stuff that has gone out of print or for songs or bonus tracks that were missing)

(Also iirc the profits from CDs/physical media is also a loooot more than a stream. Most charting systems will determine x-many "free" streams to be equal to a sale unit of an album, and x-many "paid" streams to be equal to a sale unit. Remembering that they only get paid like. $0.004 per stream* depending on the platform, if for example Australia's charting system declares 170 paid streams are equal to 1 sale unit, even at $0.004 x 170 that's 68 cents??? For a "Sale unit"??? And thats *IF* all your streams are counted.)

*Google says between $0.003 - $0.005 per stream for Spotify ** my math may be a little off alkshdjf and I don't know how that compares with royalties from CD sales or digital sales. *** My ARIA stats may be out of date they're from like 2021 but it was what I had on hand

HOLD THE LINE!! KEEP PUSHING!!!!!