#This looks like a new yorker comic

[owlsounds]

what issue of the New Yorker this from?

An Ace Attorney Christmas Carol

[wilwheaton]

In a new interview with the New Yorker ahead of his 70th birthday on Monday, the comedian explained his theory about why there’s no “funny stuff” to watch on TV anymore. “Nothing really affects comedy,” he said, “People always need it. They need it so badly and they don’t get it.” Instead of getting sitcoms like M*A*S*H, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and All in the Family, audiences miss out, he said, as a “result of the extreme left and P.C. crap, and people worrying so much about offending other people.” [...] A look back at some of his earlier comments on a similar subject adds some context, if not clarity. In 2015, Seinfeld sat down for an episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd podcast, where he explained his aversion to performing stand-up on college campuses. “I don’t play colleges, but I hear a lot of people tell me, ‘Don't go near colleges. They’re so PC,’” he said on the show. After giving an example of his teenage daughter using the word “sexist,” he concluded that young people “just want to use these words: ‘That’s racist’; 'That’s sexist’; ‘That’s prejudice.’ They don’t know what they’re talking about.”

Jerry Seinfeld Draws Right-Wing Praise for Comments on ‘Extreme Left’

This is such a bummer. Tell me you’re a privileged, entitled, myopic Boomer without telling me you’re a privileged, entitled, myopic Boomer.

It’s interesting to me that he says these legendary sit-coms, none of which were cruel, punching down, or hurtful, but were actually satirizing power, celebrating women, changing societal norms through representation, and using comedy to do it all, wouldn’t exist if “the extreme left” had anything to do with it.

Umm. Who does he think created these shows? And is he really that ignorant? Has this guy never read a single interview with Norman Lear? Or literally anyone in the cast of Mary Tyler Moore? I mean. Come on, man!

Teenagers and college students don’t know what they’re talking about when they tell a privileged, entitled, multimillionaire Boomer that his “jokes” can be hurtful, and maybe he could use his tremendous talent to do comedy that is just as funny without being hurtful. Okay. Got it. Keep saying that, and see how far it gets you, buddy.

Hey, Jerry Seinfeld: when blue checks on Twitter are celebrating you being a dick, it’s not because you’re so funny and such a brilliant comic; it’s because they love how you’re validating what garbage they are. You can’t see that, or don’t care, and that’s such a huge bummer.

[allergictocolor]

The Addams Family Through the Years

Before I get into character profiles, let me first do a run-through of the incarnations of the Addams family through the years.

As I wrote in my first post, Charles Addams created the nameless, bizarre family in some of the many comics he drew for The New Yorker starting in 1938. Morticia and Wednesday were named in 1962 when dolls of them were released. Charles Addams was asked for a list of names and descriptions for them and the other family members when the TV show was in development in 1963, but had little other involvement with the show.

The show ran for two seasons from 1964 to 1966, totalling 64 episodes. This was the same time that a similar show, The Munsters, was also on the air. Both shows were about wacky families of monstrous weirdos living in American suburbia. Both were in black and white, and both were canceled in 1966, possibly due to the rise of color television.

After a cross-over with Scooby-Doo, Hanna-Barbera produced a 16-episode animated series in 1973 which featured the family on a road trip in a creepy camper that looked like their mansion. It featured the same actors who played Lurch and Fester voicing their previous characters, and a 10-year-old Jodie Foster as the voice of Pugsley!

There was a reunion special in 1977, which reunited most of the cast of the show, called Halloween with the New Addams Family. The original show had remained popular, running in syndication for years. It was especially popular in Australia. According to one fan, this was because the Addams family was “less American” than the Munsters. 

In 1991, a feature film was released after a tumultuous production. Raul Julia became the new face of Gomez Addams in the popular consciousness. It was followed by a sequel called Addams Family Values in 1993, and in between there was another animated series. John Astin reprised his role as Gomez in that animated series. 

There were plans to continue the film series, but Raul Julia suffered from stomach cancer and died suddenly in 1994, canceling those plans. Although both films performed poorly at the box office, they gained a loyal following on home video and remain popular to this day. In 1992, an Addams family pinball machine was produced featuring original voice acting from Raul Julia as Gomez and Angelica Huston as Morticia. It became the most popular pinball machine of all time, selling over 20,000 units.

In 1998, a TV movie called Addams Family Reunion was produced by Saban, featuring Tim Curry as Gomez and Daryl Hannah as Morticia. The only returning actors from the 1991/93 movies were Carel Struycken and Christopher Hart's hand, who played Lurch and Thing, respectively. I have not seen it, and can not attest to its quality, or lack thereof. That movie was also meant to be the pilot for a TV show called The New Addams Family, but most of the cast was different. It ran for 65 episodes, none of which have I seen. (Hat tip to @tenthirtyone for pointing this out.)

After a try-out in Chicago, a musical debuted on Broadway in 2010. I was lucky enough to see that for my birthday that year. It starred Nathan Lane as Gomez and Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia. It was pretty entertaining. It would have been better if Lane wasn’t trying to be Raul Julia. He did a very fake Spanish accent, and it was terribly distracting. The musical was panned by critics and didn’t last long, but it was popular enough that it is now performed by high schools across the country. In fact, my friend Sarah and my cousin Charlie were both involved with different productions of it this past Spring.

That same year (2010), the rights were purchased by Illumination Entertainment, and they announced that they were going to produce a stop-motion film with Tim Burton. However, he decided to go with computer animation instead. That eventually turned into the 2019 film, after Tim Burton dropped out. This version was the closest in appearance to the original comics. Although the characters are rendered in 3D, the animators aimed to make them look as much like Charles Addams’ drawings as possible.

You’d think Tim Burton had been involved since at least the 1991 movie, but he hadn’t. Black and white stripes? Bats? Other goth things? That sounds like Tim Burton, but oddly enough, he actually hasn’t been attached to any Addams Family property until the Netflix show in 2022. It’s a natural pairing, and perhaps he would have been great friends with Charles Addams, had he been born several decades earlier. 

Now the Netflix show, centered on Wednesday, is in production for its second season after its first season was one of the streaming service's most popular shows to date. It's not the first time the Addams family has spawned a viral dance sensation. Way back in the 1960s, the original TV show started a dance craze called “the Lurch”.

In coming posts, I’ll go into how Charles Addams originally portrayed each of the nine characters in the Addams family pictured above (Gomez, Morticia, Pugsley, Wednesday, Fester, Grandmama, Lurch, Thing, and Cousin Itt) and how they evolved, or didn’t, over time.

[camilieroart]

TMNT COLORCODED CHARACTER LINEUP COMPLETED !

After MONTHS of work, here is finally the lineup of all

61 CHARACTERS

That will be relevant at one point or another in Colorcoded season 1 :) More non-spoilery informations about them below !

Harry the Pickpocket gets beaten up pretty often. People like to hate what is ugly, and Harry wasn't the prettiest homeless guy around. Then again, most of the time he got beat up because he was caught stealing, but that's irrelevant. He had to do what he had to do to survive, and in New York, if you don't steal what you need, well people won't give it to you. More often than not, New Yorkers liked to step over him and a few sometimes walked on him, while still ignoring him. Harry was used to being hated, being beaten, being ugly and undeserving. What he was definitely NOT used to, was being saved by a group of reptilian people that, despite the fact that he stole from them, did not beat him up, talked to him nicely, and even built him a safe shelter. The Purple one even got him running water ! Now that he could drink and shower and look presentable, he might even be able to get a job, all thanks to these kids ! Harry didn't care that they were green and had a tough back. They were nice to him, and it was only fair Harry shared whatever scraps of infos he got to help them during missions. Especially when they brought some of these tasty pizzas…

Angel had always been called a bit naive, a bit stupid, a bit too good. She was always accommodating, always saying yes and her trust could easily be abused. But that wasn't true. Angel wasn't stupid. She knew what she was giving, and she knew that sometimes it was a bit too much. But she wanted to believe in the good of people, and in their good intentions, because it's always nice to be believed in ! So, what if she felt horribly ostracized by her only friends Casey and April, always out of the loop and pushed aside, ditched out of nowhere for them to run off with poor excuses ? They surely had a great reason ! Plus, she also kept secrets from them. You see, Angel had a part time job in the local Dimmart. She didn't really need it, it was just a good way to store away cash. And the fact that she didn't NEED it, made her able to freely walk out or shrug off if she gets fired. That definitely came in handy the night she caught a giant rat man and 4 turtles stealing from the store. So maybe she let them get away and purposefully covers for them everytime she can, but what else was she supposed to do ? She knows that people who steal, are usually people that don't have choice. Some nights, maybe the cameras have some strange malfunctions.

Steve Spiegel was a failed artist. At least that what his mom said. No matter how much work he put in his comics, nobody seemed to care. Maybe he just wasn't good at coming up with nice stories... But if there's one thing he's good at, it's listening to other people's stories, and giving advice. Now that's his thing ! Maybe he doesn't enjoy it as much as making his own stories, but at least, it pays the bills ! Plus there's that new client, Casey Jones, that had been telling him the craziest stories. Of course, Steve knew realistically, that this kid was either having a laugh at his expense, or in a serious situation that he struggled at expressing and tries to explain through silly stories instead. Either way, Steve listened like it was real, gave advice like it was true, and everytime the kid seemed happy and satisfied. And professional confidentiality be damned, these stories were too good to not be turned into a nice comic…

Vernon Fenwick was what you can call an asshole. After he failed to work in any of the TV channels the city had to offer, he made his own show called the Earth Protection News, courtesy of his roommate Ulysses S. Grant, that might have passed away soon after giving him the right to his show and all of it's audience. Vernon's show didn't work well at first. In this stupidly 'woke' world, having an openly racist, and misogynist and transphobic show seemed to have a certain impact on how it performed. It wasn't until the apparition of the monsters (that the arrogant and blind-sided left calls 'mutants' to hide their horrific nature) that Vernon truly started to shine. Each new footage or even pictures was dissected in his show and explained. People listened ! Finally the world knew he was right. These reptilians had grown tired of waiting, and decided to finally start to take over, but humans won't let them ! we'll fight back, starve them, torture them, kill them ! His show was bought by Channel 3, and millions hung to his every word ! And if Vernon hid some footage that proved these mutants weren't as dangerous as he thought, then who would know ? It was only a matter of time anyway. He could see it, when they mess up and the entire world is at stake because of them, oh he would be right. He would have won. And when it happens, Vernon would be there.

Akira is the Shredder’s right hand. When Shredder rose to power, he went against her, and was thrown into a prison pit to rot. But Shredder knew the man had talent and skill, and she didn’t want it to go to waste. She broke his mind, and took his eyes, and Akira is now completely obedient to his master.

Tanner G. Rollins is the failure of the family. His family moved to New York to make it, 2 generations ago, and were very successful. Tanner chose not to take over the family business and become a doctor. They were kicked out and banished because of it. He struggled really badly to become a dentist, and even then, clients were rare and barely enough to survive. Thanks to Splinter’s kindness, they decided to devote his life to helping mutants. He became a pro-mutant activist and takes care of mutant patients without ever compromising their safety. Also they’re a big rabbit fan. They’re just neat. He’s very blunt and honest, and heavily depressed.

Avril and xer twin Amaro Knox work in their grandma's (Anet Knox) Calm Corner Comics shop, and often scare of assholes that try to bother. They are both pro-mutants. Both are Tanako no Ichi fan. Avril is very chill and cool (xey/xer). Amaro is a party guy and always poppin'.

Anet Knox might be a small woman, but she is strong-willed and is a person to respect. She rules her comic shop with an iron fist, and is ready to beat the hell out of anyone disrespectful, despite her grandchildren being there to do so. She’s loudly pro-mutant, and is very happy to see Leo and Donnie whenever they come over for the new Tanako no Ichi manga or some Lynthia’s Legends.

André Murakami is a blind japanese chef, owner of the small but delicious restaurant "Fuyuuran". He was blind from one eye when he was born and fucked up his other eye by running around with a knife as a kid. He's very sweet and pro-mutant.

Renet Tilley is Casey's and April's history teacher, as well as their reference teacher. She is pretty awkward and shy around other adults and tend to relax around teens and younger. Her classes are always interesting and she strives to help her student as best as she can.

Shinigami and Yumiko live together. Shinigami was Karai's nanny and basically raised her. After Saki's death, she talked to Karai calling her sweetheart as she always have and got gutted and thrown out. Thankfully she was saved by one of the clan's cooks, Yumiko. They both ran away from the Foot and they assume they're dead. Since the Foot had always provided for them, they live in extreme poverty, and Yumiko works 5 jobs to try to save up to buy a proper wheelchair for Shinigami.

Baxter Stockman found, one day, a lot of canisters clogging his lab’s water tunnels, and after a few experiments, saw the potential in the mutagene. He sold it to scientists all around the world, and kept some to himself to experiment with. Ethicality and morality didn’t have it’s place in Stockman Entreprises, and it was in the way of progress. However, Baxter knew it was dangerous, and thus took it really badly when he noticed one day the Foot Clan spying on him, and decided to teach them a lesson. Baxter’s main drive is learning and discovering, advancing technology and driving humanity forward, no matter the cost. With global warming and world leaders playing with atomic bombs, time is limited, and Baxter will be the one to save the human race.

Don Vizioso is the nicest guy alive, he's known as the philantropist Vizioso. He would help you pay off your debt, take you under his wing if you're struggling, pay an ice cream to a little kid, shoot a guy that betrayed him 35 times in the head, pay for your college tuition, help fix the fucked up streets, or even give you access to his free hospital he set up in Manhattan ! His employees are helping out everywhere in the city, even if their influence is mainly in Manhattan. Recently, they have been bravely battling the group of thugs named the Purple Dragons, that keep aggressing people and destroying properties. Of course, Vizioso always helps with the reparations, sometimes coming down himself to fix up a wall or entertain the kids. For some reason, people keep coming after him with wild accusations, and these thugs often end up being recruited by the Purple Dragons. Plus, after the city announcement about the existence of monsters in New York, he's taken a stance on protecting New York, and has been bravely fighting back the creatures that keep trashing the city ! What a hero.

(This is the version that Vizioso believes about himself as well as the propaganda)

Don Vizioso is a mafia boss, despite being known by the mass as "the philantropist Vizioso". He would help you pay off your debt, but in return you're indebted in him. He'd take you under his wing, then shove you into a life of crime you can't escape. He would pay an ice cream to a little kid, because that way the shooter on the roof can't get to him. He would shoot a corpse until it's disfigured, and then go after his family. He would pay for your college tuition, and then ask you to kill the dean. He would fix the fucked up streets, and ask a tax from the people to pay for it. He made a free hospital, that actually records everything about you, and steals money every month without you noticing. His goons are looming over the entire city, but Manhattan is what is truly under his control, including the information. A group of resistant was created, called the Purple Dragons, but they are constantly discredited and Vizioso's crimes are pinned on them. Vizioso helps this idea that he's innocent by helping rebuild buildings he destroyed, but not the families he killed. When people realize they've been dupped, and lost everything after trusting Don Vizioso, they go after him, and then join the resistance. The mutants are a menace for his organization, and they won't destroy what took him so long to build. Plus, if he could capture them and sell them, he could make a good buck out of it.

The Purple Dragons are angry people, most of which have been wronged by Don Vizioso, that let their anger known. They are demonized by Don Vizioso and the city, and cast aside. Hun is their leader, driven mostly by anger and resentment. He always feels as if everything is being stolen from him and reacts impulsively and violently, which has often has negative effects in his life. He tries to aim that anger directly onto Vizioso and his energy into taking him down. During the raids to places that would weaken Vizioso, Hun goes wild and is often the reason for the bigger property damage. After hurting his loved ones when he was little however, he is always careful to not hurt people unless they ask/agree to it (like for a spar or he asks people if they want to fight. If they refuse he insists but doesn’t lunge for it anyway), or to defend himself or the people he wants to protect. Only when it’s directly and immediately. The few crimes they do commit in order to fight Vizioso is often the justification for the other, bigger crimes Vizioso commits and pins on them. Hun knows that getting mad at that and being violent back would only make their reputation worse, but he refuses to stay idle or passive in the face of the mafia boss. Hun, Koios Streight (the voice of reason), Nermin (tries to better the reputation of the Purple Dragons and deal with the damage. She's the n°1 reason Hun reigns himself in property damage). Also Koios and Nermin are dating. it's like irrelevant to anything ever. All the purple dragon things they wear is merch from Lynthia's legends (donnie's fav books) because it's about dragons and the color theme is purple.

Miss Chow, Malo and Arune are a little recomposed family. Miss Chow owns a food stall called "Chow's food and drink" in Manhattan. Arune and Miss Chow are married, and each handle a different job for the stall. Miss Chow is the main face and makes the food and such. Arune is usually working on paperwork and taking care of the finances and going to pick up Malo from school… Malo is from Miss Chow's previous marriage. She loves her moms but she's very very shy. She’s also partially deaf, but is able to hear pretty well with her hearing aid. Miss Chow is battling cancer, and thanks to Arune’s incredible talent in handling finances and worming through admnistrative, they’re able to stay afloat and have most of her treatment covered. Arune had a congenital malformation, and due to the fact she spent her entire life disabled and surviving America’s legal system, she really knows her way around their traps.

8-ball needs to feel like she has control over her life, and herself. After 18, her parents pushed her out for her to become independent, but 8-ball struggled and failed to get a job. Desperate and unable to seek refuge at her parents’, she was extremely grateful when a kind man took her in. What she thought was kindness turned out to be abuse, as he used her fragile mental state to control her. His constant pressure to be more beautiful and thinner, and her need to feel like she still belonged to herself led her to the dangerous path of controlling her food. It started small, not allowing any snaks after 2PM, then it became not eating more than once a day, then that one meal became smaller and smaller. It felt good, to be able to control that, to see the changes on her body that at last SHE was making happen. One day, as he hit her, one of her bone broke, due to malnutrition. He realized that his puppet would no longer work, and he left. 8-ball was right back where she started, in a much worse condition. Her control over her life kept slipping away, even with him gone, and it only amplified her need to control her food intake. Then, an evening she looked in the mirror after showering and it hit her like a truck. She was not okay and she needed help. But with no job and barely surviving, she couldn’t afford the help. She had no support group, nothing. So she made one, with other girls that like her were struggling and needed help but couldn’t get any professional one.

She is slowly relearning to eat without the swirl of guilt and horror to appear, but it’s very hard, and set backs happen often. But she’s going to survive it, she’s determined to make it. She wears wigs to hide her falling hair, and contacts because she likes it. Her favorites are the 8 balls ones.

The Turks were originally just a support group for disabled girls to talk about their problem, but it quickly turned into a way for them to expel their anger and sadness at being abandoned by society. It was founded and is being lead by 8-ball (favourite weapon baseball bat), along her two right arms, Aïda (spiky punchy things) who has down syndrome and is tired of being pushed aside, and Ruth (knife hidden in cane), an old black lady that seems fragile but will tear you apart, earning her the nickname “ruthless”. The gang often trashes the city and beat up people that make comments on their appearances. They tag a lot of walls about the city’s abandonment of disabled people and the lack of help and care for them if they do not fit hyper-specific criterias. As well as they are constantly judged due to their disability, leading to an impossibility to get jobs and sometimes even housing. They are led by 8-ball, that cannot fight due to her fragile physical state, but is the voice of their group. As the group gets known, they are being joined by other women, that while not disabled, are victims of societal or domestic abuse, and wishes for things to change. Of course all of this nuance and why the group was created is being pushed aside by medias and they are being labelled as a violent mob gang that only wishes to create anarchy. All their messages through tags are not relayed by the media, and some of them even present 8-ball and her right arms as big strong men (because how else could they have trashed the street ?). They are regularly being stopped by the turtles for hurting people, whenever it goes too far. However the mutants have never stopped them from writing their messages, as long as they didn’t hurt anyone. For a while, the girls abided to the rules, but they are getting tired of their messages disappearing in the wind. They need to do something big. To finally be listened to. Also this women only club does accept trans women, who goes through the same selection as everyone else.

it was originally a support group for women to reunite and talk about their problems and such. now, sure they trash the place but technically that's still the case. It's a support group for women about women discrimination, which includes all women, but it's a support group for women. Like that's just it. It turned into a gang which isn't great, but yeah. Plus it's not like a windmill. There's like questions they ask you before you join and stuff. It's a group that includes everyone that has experiences woman discrimination, and so includes trans women and Ft anything. Of course regardless of gender or build or whatever if you start being an ass you get kicked out

General Blanque is loyal to his country, and after that the world. He will defend it from any threats, and after New York City’s mayor gets attacked by monsters, and the mayor gets convinced to stay inactive, General Blanque decides to act in the shadows, helped by his assistant Lonae. It would take him a while, but he would get rid of these pests, before they fester and grow. He has a plan for a special squad of trained criminals, as he could not use soldiers without being noticed, and he’d grant them immunity if they succeed... Lonae is a model secretary and assistant. Always proper and straight, remembering all the meetings and accommodating her general whenever she can. Dutiful and loyal to a fault, especially to her clan’s leader, Shredder. She’s a wonderful spy, not once suspected by the General. Shredder stays aware of all the political movement happening in New York, without ever giving away her precious asset.

Libby and Harold Lilja own the store “Friendly neighbourhood store”, in the end of Brooklyn, towards Staten Island. Originally both graduate of a science PhD, their paths led them to each other, and in the end, to this little store that is their pride and joy. They met Splinter and the turtles when they were still little, as Splinter was trying to steal for food. The Lilja were the first ones to welcome the mutants with open arms and help them out. They are considered precious allies, despite not being in each others life all that often (not visiting each others houses or anything). Both of them are very outspoken pro-mutants, despite Harold being generally very quiet, and Libby avoiding political discussions.

Oxymary's maker, nicknamed "Ox" by fans. They're a bit fan of non-human creatures, going as far to inspire their main guiding character from a non-human, and then always dressing up as them when they go out. Which is ironic, when you know how anti-mutant they are.

Ox, making the game : "ommmmmg so like monster characters are soooo cool, so mysterious and interesting, and different ! i love how different from us monters are :D" Ox, as soon as they learn about mutants "oh ewwww what the hell is that kill it with fire"

The mayor is sooo important. He's so important you know. A big important man, that needs to be respected. And taken care of because he works soooo hard for this city. A good business man. A big boy. He can yell reaaal loud if you don't listen to him ! So brave ! So imposing ! He's doing soooo well, his mama sure thinks so. She supports him when he goes after the big bad monsters that harmed her baby boy ! Like a superhero.

James Bond is just a guy. He likes animals, and he’s a trans man who had Bond as his last name and just ran with it. He’s the only pro-mutant vetenarian in an anti-mutant clinic, so he keeps a low profile but he helps the turtles when he can. Nothing fancy or big, just a guy doing his part.

[bruciemilf]

There’s no such thing as a good patrol.

The bats prowl among dark corners like quiet shadows. They’ve been doing it since youth was reality, and not a distant, blurry daydream, that left them feeling like icons and ghosts.

There’s certain measurements to what makes one satisfactory, thought. Boredom checks no boxes.

“An ouija board? Seriously, Steph?”

Stephanie looks at Jason with a small smirk, “What, is this cultural appropriation? Let me get the ukelele out.” She dodges the batarang effortlessly.

Dick frowns, “What are you guys talking about?”

“Dude, just don’t. You’re too old for trends. Accept it. Live laugh love it, or whatever the hell boomer Milennials say.”

“SHUT UP! THAT’S THE THING I’M SENSITIVE ABOUT.”

ANYWAY. They get the brilliant idea to try and conjure Thomas Wayne, because why not?

Theres has to be some fragments of the street urchin Bruce gave wings to still breathing in Jason, because he’s absolutely against the idea.

Tim, surprisingly, agrees, “What if ghosts ARE real and we’ll undo years of scientific research negating the existence of supernatural entities Christians use as proof to validate their beliefs?”

“…And…You know, what if we upset Bruce.”

“Oh, yeah. Sure, that too.”

But they never listened to Tim before, so why start now?

They do use the board, and it does work, and the thing is? They get to SPEAK to Thomas, too.

What they discovery leaves them all petrified. When they tell Bruce, they do so with regret in their hearts.

He turns around, comically slow, eyes wide and bright against his eyeliner, shimmering with angry fire. They’ve never seen him so angry. So offended. So utterly disgusted.

“How DARE you call my father a New Yorker?!”

[pianokantzart]

Rewatched the Mario Movie again. The beginning where the bros are in Brooklyn is so intriguing to me...like...why tf are they so short??

Since Luigi is the taller of the two, I compared his heights to others the most, like- are the tables in america usually at your elbows? Are the sinks that tall? Luigi passed a waitress whilst he was walking to Spike, she taller than him.

Not to mention Mario- the man jumped through a car window....how?? Spike lifted him up as if he was nothing. Either he's tall af or the bros are just short af.

I love it. Short Kings

Thank you for this! There are so many fan depictions of Luigi where he's tall and thin, but in actuality (or at least in the movie canon) he's pretty short and tubby? he's just not as short and tubby as his brother.

But gosh dang is the world big compared to those two.

Look at this: the kitchen sink goes up to their shoulders!

With Spike, it's definitely a situation of "unusually big man positioned next to an unusually small man," making for a borderline-comical size difference.

No wonder Luigi is so anxious, Spike is beefed out and freaking huge, even next to the average average New Yorker. Meanwhile the bros are dwarfed by their own vehicle. Mario is sitting up straight in this picture, and even then his head barely peeks above the steering wheel:

Bathroom sinks normally do NOT go up to your chest, not even in America. I'm 5'5 and my bathroom sink only goes to my hips. How small are these guys???

And let us never forget that Mario needs a footstool to just sit comfortably on the edge of his bed.

Short kings. Tiny, tiny little fellows. I love it.

[the-archetype-of-civilization]

More little things I noticed in my third rewatch of ATSV.

-SPOILERS AHEAD-

There was a moment that confused me where Spot was robbing the guy of the ATM and he was setting down some cans for (seemingly) no reason. He was actually placing the ATM on top of the cans so he can roll it out.

I can't confirm if this is what was actually there, but when Uncle Aaron was telling Miles they "gotta roll," there was an acrylic stand of Spider-Man there that looked like Miles Morales Spider-Man (color and all).

When Miles was swinging through 42 NYC, there was an advertisement for "Vulture" something, I'm assuming a company. Messed up.

When Miguel first introduces himself by ramming into Vulture, Gwen gets to the spot and does this really slick landing animation where she kinda just gracefully brushes against the bannister briefly before landing on the ground.

42 Rio being given more hours at the hospital shows just how bad 42 New York has gotten without a Spider-Man. Terrifying.

I think I may have pointed this out on a previous post, but 1610 Uncle Aaron had a lucky black cat while 42 Uncle Aaron had a lucky white cat instead. I also like the parallels of Peter being tied up against a punching bag by Miles in ITSV while Miles is tied up by Uncle Aaron in ATSV.

I find it hilarious that Miles STILL doesn't know about ComicCon and didn't bother to look it up since ITSV when 42 Rio brings up "ComicsCon."

When Hobie is blocking off Miles from walking through to Miguel and Miles bumps into him, there's a tiny skull that appears when they make contact. It might just be a punk thing, but I wonder if it's an omen for the bad thing that's ahead of Miles.

Lego Spider-Man's vocalized "boop boop"s killed me.

I love the reveal when Miles realizes he's in the wrong universe, the camera pulls into his face and twists slightly. Obvious but nonetheless cool film styling of "his world is spinning" aside, I love that it feels like a 40's/50's kind of thing. Like this is something that you would see in The Twilight Zone, it nails the old comic book-y vibes too.

42 Miles' facial posture has his head up high and his chin slightly jutting out and up, like he's this "in-charge," cold, dignified superior while our Miles has his chin straight, sometimes pointed down and his head straight, showing he's trying to appeal to his humanity and trying to be humble and unassuming. It's awesome details like this that I love.

Hearing Spot say that he couldn't get a job because of what happened to him at that deli really hurts, honestly. Even if, in a way, he himself is partially to blame, it sucks that he has to resort to this. And the way he says it, almost in a "well, I can't do anything else so this is the only thing I can do ¯\_(ツ)_/¯" kind of way is really saddening, like he's trying to take it in stride and as a matter of fact. As awful as Spot becomes, I still feel bad for him.

Miles has a "#BLM" pin on his backpack. I'm sure people saw it already and it's probably a given, but in a world where media is trying to appeal to as wide of an audience as possible, it's nice to see the studio make a clear stance with a character that absolutely fits the bill.

That title drop for Earth 42 when Uncle Aaron tries to dab up Miles going into slow-mo with the music subdued was dope as fuck.

Miles throwing his arms up when asking when his dad dies ("When does it happen?!") is so on-point and well animated, it feels like something every New Yorker would do (I would personally know, since I am one).

When Gwen asks Jess if she ever made mistakes, Jess' reply, saying "yeah, but I got over it," is pretty toxic. It feeds into Gwen's need to avoid her problems rather than address them and face them, and I think that's why she probably chooses to avoid discussing things about Miles to him directly.

That look of disgust on Miles' face when he's being surrounded by Spider-People ("What is this? Some kind of intervention or something?") was so real.

The long silence between Miles choosing to go into the portal to follow Gwen is so good, I love when the movie speaks for itself rather than the dialogue. You can see the hesitation in Miles' eyes and face and then his determination as he jumps headfirst into the portal. A great character scene and fitting transition into the next act.

The album cover for the soundtrack is so good and comes from the scene where Miles goes into the portal. It feels like a mix of something from a Golden Age comic book cover, Miles' hand opened out towards the camera like he's being thrust into another world. And the colors of the portal and transition to Mumbattan are gorgeous. Fills the 40's/50's vibes I was talking about earlier, too.

Jeff's toast is really well done and I like how heartfelt and real it feels. Makes his anger, unfortunately, justified on Miles, even if Miles was trying to do the right thing for him and Rio in the end.

"I was just cool the whole time" is such a boss line, I love Hobie.

Miguel casually (almost lazily) swinging around rescuing civilians at the Guggenheim whilst talking to Gwen about a serious conversation is unironically cool. And it fits to his character, he's probably done it so many times that it becomes child's play in the end.

"I ain't got Scooby-Doo, mate."

How does Hobie know that Miles should use his palms for those powers? Curious.

"But now...I'm not afraid of anything." I love Miles so much, he's grown and become so strong not just for himself but for others. He's the best Spidey. Full stop.

I love the reversal of reflections for Gwen. At the beginning of the movie, she's in her casual wear but with the reflections always showing her in her Spider outfit. At the end, she comes home in her Spider outfit but with herself in her casual wear in the reflection instead. She started off alone in the world as Spider-Woman and ended feeling like Gwen. Her arc was completed and she's facing herself, the real Gwen Stacy and not Spider-Woman.

I felt bad that the deli clerk got bonked by the bat :( But, at least he's all right.

Miles saying "Don't do that" to the kid licking the subway window is real. That shit is nasty, the windows are the least clean parts of NYC's subway.

I love that both Gwen and Miles use comically deep voices around their respective dads. It's cute.

When the police officer was saying "I think we found our sign" when Gwen webbed them up, George's silent head turn with unamusement was awesome.

I will not have anymore George Stacy slander. Yeah, he made a bad call in seemingly arresting his daughter, but he QUIT his job for her. He loves her that much that he quit being, not just a police officer, but a CAPTAIN, for HER sake.

Speaking of which, when George had his gun pointed at her before she unmasked, he had his gun down the whole time after she unmasked, even while he was re-relaying her her rights. And when she tries to approach him, his gun flinches up a bit but stops.

"Can you go easy on the penguin?"

This is actually a follow-up post, since I said before that I might make another. This movie is too much for me and I love taking it apart.

Edit: I'm sorry for the constant updates and changes/revisions, but I can't stop thinking about this movie.

[saywhatjessie]

This article was too hot for my editor to want to publish it on the website so I'm posint it here, babey!

Would Spider-Man help catch the UHC Assassin?

Current events have Spider-Man fans asking, “What is justice?" And how would our favorite web-slinger deal with this?”

Since the lethal shooting of United Health Care CEO Brian Thompson on the morning of December 4th, citizens across the country and people around the world have been eagerly awaiting news of the so-far uncaptured assassin, but maybe not for the reasons one may expect.

By and large, people appear to be celebrating what they see as a direct action against the oppressive state of American health insurance and the predatory models of these businesses that end up with multi-billion dollar CEOs. Private insurance is inherently exploitative, killing 68,000 Americans every year due to denying them coverage for care that could otherwise have prevented their deaths. The fact that it’s been almost a week and the police are still trying to pinpoint a clear suspect since so many people had motive is entirely damning. It makes us wonder, since this happened on the streets of New York, would Spider-Man be assisting the NYPD in their search for this man many have been calling a hero? Or would he align with the will of the people and decide that justice has already been served?

Peter Parker has his own complicated history with billionaires, what with his relationship to Tony Stark and the fact that in later iterations of the comic, he becomes a CEO himself of Parker Industries. It could be easy to say, “Spider-Man doesn’t kill, and he knows that billionaires are people too, so he would surely help hunt this killer.” But I’m not so sure.

The way this case has been playing out already reads like a comic book: the assassin shot this man in broad daylight on a city street and then made his getaway on a Citibike. He wrote “deny,” “defend,” and “depose�� on the bullets, making sure there could be no mistake of what the motive was and why this man was killed. His backpack was found after four days, full of Monopoly money, and his gun appears to be a weapon mainly used to euthanize pigs. This is the kind of action comic book writers salivate over: the themes, the metaphor, the cheeky false evidence. The gunman’s avoided detection for so long because he’s been playing with the US Justice Department’s reliance on a surveillance state, exploiting the nature of essentially living in a panopticon and adjusting for it. He is vengeance. He is justice. And people are responding.

There have been calls for economic revolution in this country for decades, but especially in the last few years. The cost of living continually escalating and a global pandemic leaving many financially and sometimes literally crippled, with medical care being denied left and right, has left many—most, even—completely unsympathetic toward billionaires. People celebrate pods of killer whales sinking yachts off the coast of Spain, protestors have shown up outside of CEOs’ homes with guillotines, and there was a party on Twitter when the OceanGate submersible killed 3 billionaires in an implosion last year. And who can blame them? When growing up, all our cartoons were about fighting against corporate greed and giving back to the people; of course we’re going to cheer for the downfall of the richest among us. From Robin Hood to What’s New, Scooby Doo? It’s always been about plucky upstarts spitting in the face of public officials and taking down the people with enough money that laws wouldn’t touch them. One of the opening scenes of The Incredibles (2004), Bob Parr nearly kills his boss at Insuracare, outraged at his denial of claims and dismissal of human life. And this was his return to heroism. Our feelings about this don’t change just because it’s happening in real life. 

Shops around the world have sold out of jackets that look similar to the one the assassin wore, and New Yorkers held a UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter look-a-like contest. The community is rallying around this man, internet sleuths refusing to assist police in finding the killer. Who’s to say Spider-Man wouldn’t refuse, too?

I wouldn’t be surprised if a fictional version of the past week’s events eventually showed up in a comic somewhere—in several comic universes, really—and I’m sure different writers would have their take on what Spider-Man would do. But my Spidey would let the cops figure it out. I think he’d figure that since the state of American insurance is the government’s fault, it should be the government to sort out the consequences on their own.

[jedivoodoochile]

Maila Elizabeth Syrjäniemi was known professionally as Maila Nurmi, and known even more professionally as Vampira. During her career, Nurmi claimed to have been born in Petsamo, Finland. However, those who have claimed to had seen her birth certificate said that her birthplace was listed as Gloucester, Massachusetts.

The idea for the Vampira character was born in 1953 when Nurmi attended choreographer Lester Horton's annual Bal Caribe Masquerade in a costume inspired by Morticia Addams in The New Yorker cartoons of Charles Addams. Her appearance with pale white skin and tight black dress caught the attention of television producer Hunt Stromberg, Jr., who wanted to hire her to host horror movies on the Los Angeles television station KABC-TV, but Stromberg had no idea how to contact her. He finally got her phone number from Rudi Gernreich, later the designer of the topless swimsuit. The name Vampira was the invention of Nurmi's husband, Dean Riesner. Nurmi's characterization was influenced by the Dragon Lady from the comic strip Terry and the Pirates and the evil queen from Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937).

On April 30, 1954, KABC-TV aired a preview, "Dig Me Later, Vampira," at 11:00 p.m. "The Vampira Show" premiered on the following night, May 1, 1954. Each show opened with Vampira gliding down a dark corridor flooded with dry-ice fog. At the end of her trance-like walk, the camera zoomed in on her face as she let out a piercing scream. She would then introduce (and mock) that evening's film while reclining barefoot on a skull-encrusted Victorian couch. Her horror-related comedy antics included ghoulish puns such as encouraging viewers to write for epitaphs instead of autographs and talking to her pet spider Rollo. Despite its popularity, the series was canceled in 1955 when Nurmi refused to sell her rights to the character to ABC. Nurmi revived the series for a short time in 1956 on KHJ-TV.

After the series' demise, Nurmi appeared in the cult film "Plan 9 from Outer Space" (1959), dressed as Vampira and credited under that name but out of character. Nurmi told Boxoffice that Wood's dialogue was so awful she sought and received permission to perform her entire role in a mute. "At the time I thought it was horrible. I knew immediately I'd be committing professional suicide, but I thought 'What choice do I have?' Somehow, I seemed to be dead already. I love glamour and physical beauty. I've always been fascinated by beautiful men on the screen: Tyrone Power, Robert Walker, with soft-focus filters and velvet voices. That's what [Edward D. Wood Jr.] was like. Beautiful dreamy eyes and long, sweeping lashes, just beautiful. He didn't make a very pretty lady [in 'Glen or Glenda' (1953)], but he made an awfully pretty man."

"I just thought he was a low-born idiot. With no talent at all. Just a brazen, foolish idiot... You know, I thought he was just a goon. Ah, I wasn't looking squarely . . . I just cast a glance, and just dismissed him with a thought. Kind of snobbish and foolish of me. But then over the years as I've mellowed and grown a little more sensible, and I began to look at this man after, after the fact. And I thought, 'Incredible what he managed to achieve!' Without any help! And the obstacles that he managed to overcome! Somehow, it's . . . miraculous. It's more than just persistence. Yes, he had a lot of persistence--that's for sure. But he also had a gilded karma that this was all intended to be.

[saleintothe90s]

506. The Sunday Salespapers, December 4, 1988, part 2

(part 1)

Win a cute lil wagon or a big scary wagon.

You guys, its ~our coffee~ in holiday packaging!

This obviously has nothing to do with the holidays, unless you make hamburgers for 40 as part of your Christmas Eve, I just had to share this giant keg o ketchup. 32 oz! That's two more ounces than the Stanley I put my iced espresso and cream in so I can sip on it all day.

We have our first silly goose! You know, the folk art geese everybody's moms wanted in the late 80s into the early 90s. Their kerchiefs always had to be blue and white! Also, sorry, but I'm not giving my cats mysterious drops to change their smell of their poops.

I need to know this tasted. What is simethicone.

oh. This. this was the collection of terrible secret santa presents. Except for you cat mug, you can stay. I had that brass jewelry rack! I had it with my Barbie stuff and Ariel's hair got tangled up in it.

I have never considered broccoli in a dip until I saw this. You would have to cut the broccoli up teeny tiny for it to be dip-aple, I'm guessing. A little smaller than broccoli cheese soup size, I guess.

I am flabbergasted at how cheap this Caboodle at Treasury Drug was. This is an early model that looks more like the Plano tacklebox it was descended from.

This order form for an engraved Parker pen is insane. Why couldn't you just fill out the form, choose the pen you want, what you want the pen to say, include a check and send it off. Why did you have to buy the pen, take the ink refill out of the pen, make sure you keep the box it came in, fill out the form and send all that off. Also I didn't know that Popples were also footballs.

WOAH. WOAH WOA. My dad was a firefighter and I'm sure if mom n dad had the money back then, I would of had this.

Again, not Christmas, but on everybody's home recorded tape of a Pee Wee Christmas, there is a commercial for this toothpaste on it.

I wouldn't be able to make my mind up on what sheet set I would want. Alf or Garfield, Alf or Garfield.

Ok, who didn't have or didn't know someone who had this.

The Kiblan cat sheets! Kiblan stuff goes for so much $$$ on eBay. I was wondering why that Mickey pillow looked so familiar, then I remembered it was in a law office commercial when I was a kid! It was on fire! Something about how the law offices were responsible for fire retardant toys and children's pajamas? I know I have the commercial on one of my tapes a local friend sent me. Just can't find it right now.

More Silly Geese and the house they lived in!

Even MORE. Also tablecloths and tables my mom most definitely had. I love how the rugs are described as "kitchen slices".

Man, Bradlees was home of the Silly Geese.

I only share this bride because she reminds me of Markie Post.

I wonder if those California Raisins keychains from Pep Boys are leftover figures from the Hardees promotion. Big oof on the front facing Alf.

It is 2024 and I want Alf pajamas back. I had an Alf nightgown where Alf discusses how much he loves cats.

I had those lil Oliver shoes!

I also had some flocked Oliver toys from Sears that had amazing detail. (source)

SEARS, what were you doing selling an ear piercing kit.

I love that a New Yorker esque comic was used for Crispix.

You tellin' me there's no Hawaiian Punch in these Tutti Frutti cookies?!

This is one of my most missed foods. Matt from the Purple Stuff Podcast always brings up the commercials that gave people the idea of of McNuggets as a holiday party food . This is my idea of a holiday food for an 80s holiday party held at someone's giant house in the suburbs.

Again, not related to Christmas, but to childhood. Did anybody else's first grade teacher make you bring a bottle of this soap to school on the first day? We used it for the sink in the classroom. Was that just my mean first grade teacher, Mrs. Bailey?

We had the ornament of the couple on the sled with the horse!

We laughed at winning an almond orchard back in 1988, but could you imagine how much it would potentially be worth in 2024 with all the almond milk yall be drinking?!

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[seancekitsch]

...And Into my Car: Chapter 1

Pairing: Hughie Campbell x Reader

Hughie hums along to the radio, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as he sits and waits parked out front of the Times Square Church. Today is just like any other day with the boys: stake outs and surveillance. That is, until you're slapping your hands on his passenger side window, pulling up the skirts of your ballgown wedding dress and begging him to open the door.

warnings for the series: smut, violence, use of Y/N and supe name, more to be added

Things are peaceful, sort of. Hughie has settled into a pattern that he thinks he likes. Sure, the move from a shared apartment to a solo apartment in Tribeca was chaotic, and he ends up covered in blood more often than he’d like… but comparatively things are going really well! Hughie drums his fingers along the steering wheel of the car, parked outside the Times Square church in all its gaudy glory and beats the wheel to the tune of a Steely Dan song.

Thai food maybe? he thinks, maybe he’ll ask the girls if they want to do Thai after this, this stupid recon op that makes no sense. Why is Vought at this stupid church anyway? There are better churches in Midtown alone, ones that Vought would consider more culturally significant or even better for a photo opportunity than this one.

People stroll along, stop, stroll, stop. Hughie can alway pick out his kind, Native New Yorkers, from the tourists. First of all, they're not afraid to jaywalk. They break the steady rhythm of the traffic in Times Square. They also keep their heads down, dont look at the spectacle of it all. The glitter is mundane to his kind. Even the local theatergoers act as if what they do is a secret, he notices as someone on the corner takes a discreet picture of the Winter Garden before going back to their head down slog, until they head inside.

Wedding bells chime.

Ah, that must be it, Hughie realizes. Maybe one of the Execs is getting married, or one of the lower level supes. He wishes them well, or whatever, the poor saps at best case and a match made in hell at the worst. He's sure the place will be swirling with paparazzi and news outlets. Great. Maybe he should move his car, he realizes, as he could easily end up trapped in on this street if a crowd decides to form.

But just as he's about to put the car in drive, the sounds of metal on glass interrupt, and then:

"Hughie Campbell?"

His musings are disrupted by a loud voice, a woman in a ballgown wedding dress, the kind you'd see from a princess. Jewelry glitters and hair is expertly piled on top of her head. It gives him pause as he pictures Marie Antoinette. Her eyes darting around, looking for something. Perhaps Butcher had some kind of agenda when stationing him near this church today, but Hughie remains a skeptic. Your face has no recollection to him. You are, in all ways, a stranger.

“Hey, open up!” you exclaim, your comically large engagement ring turned inward on your hand and clattering against the window; a behavior Hughie recognizes. If not his car, you’re going to try the subway, your ball gown dragging into the doors of the C train or something. 

“Please!” you ask again, your voice cracking as you speak. For some reason, beyond all of Hughie’s good sense, he presses the button that unlocks the doors. You fling the door open the moment you hear the click, gathering your skirts and your veil up in unceremonious handfuls where Hughie gets a glimpse of running shoes under the dress, and you throw yourself onto the seat next to him. The tulle and underskirts spill over the center console, and Hughie cringes as some of the white netting brushes against the tip of the straw of his dr pepper. You sigh deeply and dramatically as you buckle your seatbelt, throwing your head back against the seat. Your eyes fall shut for a moment, gathering yourself. He doesn't recognize you, not from any of the offices or any of the posters or TV advertisements. If you work for Vought, you don't work in any part of it that he has seen.

“Cold feet?” he asks, and then immediately wants to slap himself in the face. He should kick you out, he really should.

“You could say that,” you chuckle, then add, “You ever see a wedding live-streamed on VoughtPlus?”

“No?” Hughie asks, but he really doesn’t like where this is going. There was talk, of a VoughtPlus wedding livestream, back when Homelander was with Stormfront. It seemed absolutely fucked then, and the idea of it still sounds fucked now. Perhaps there is a good reason why there hasn’t been one of these yet. 

"Well, you aren't going to!" You laugh, your smile bright, and Hughie wonders if you're insane, "And no one will! I'm free!"

"And you needed me for that?" he asks, still not really sure why his car or he specifically is roped into this. But as the seconds tick by, the urge to drive, even with a bride in his car, grows stronger.

"You're parked where a getaway car would be, right? So lets get away."

Hughie drives aimlessly into Hell's Kitchen, past more theaters and trendy restaurants. He's not sure what made him put the car in gear, but he has, and the drive is not bad so far. The radio is the only sound in the car, but it's not uncomfortable. Hughie continuously checks the rearview mirror, but it seems as if he's not being followed... yet. All of it feels off, yet he doesn't raise any alarms just yet. Your lip curls up into a snarl at one of the buildings, like the architecture is deserving of disdain. You pick at your nails, as if clawing at the manicure would fix the situation, or ease something within you.

"We need to get out of this city," you say, your voice wavering and watery. It's now that he sees your eyes are rimmed with tears.

"Yeah, okay, yeah we can do that," he stammers, turning another corner, "Where?"

"Anywhere I guess. We could go to Philly?"

“Thats too close," he dismisses, remembering how easily Vought had found them when they had been on reconnaissance in Central Pennsylvania.

You scoff, your tears fading away as your face becomes irate.

"Well, okay, where are you from?” he asks.

“Philly.”

“I told you that's too close. Pick again.”

“Excuse me? What do you mean pick again? You asked me a factual question about myself,” you scoff, and cross your arms, “Can’t change where I’m from like you probably can’t change that stupid haircut.”

Ouch. He’s struck a chord. But he can’t be mad at you about the haircut comment, not when this is what Kimiko could salvage after Butcher accidentally lit a cigarette too close to Hughie’s head. He knows the haircut is fucked up, but he can’t find it in himself to shave it and start over either. 

“Okay, rude,” Hughie sighs, resolve failing him, “But I guess you’re right. We still can’t go there though.”

“Yes, we can! And you know what? We should. I’ve been hiding stuff away from Vought in there for months now. They’ve never suspected a thing. And Annie’s been a big help-“ Annie? What the fuck does Annie have to do with this? “- and she said that if I ever need help that she can’t give me, that you’re the one to go to! I guess its fate I found you on the day that I needed you most.”

By the time you stop talking your chest is heaving, stress emanating off of you in waves. Hughie has been there. Maybe thats why he can feel his resolve dampening by the second. Annie knew about you, trusted you, and here you are asking for help.

How can he say no?

"Okay. We'll stop in Philly. We can't stay there though."

You nod in understanding, your entire body dropping tension at once as you slump against the seat. Hughie decides then that he doesn't like being the cause of any stress for you, a woman he doesn't even know. Perhaps it's how he knows he's 'weaker' than the other guys in the group, perhaps it's just heightened empathy after the long year and a half he's had. Either way, your relief is shared with him as he turns up the radio and waits for the light to turn green.

He turns down the next street, and changes course towards the tunnel.

[novakiart]

Best spider man comic?

oh!! I'm going to stick to self-contained comics that you can just hop right into

i loooove the amazing spider-man annual #1 (2018) by saladin ahmed. the take on peter & venom's relationship (told through venom's pov) is really really good

peter parker: the spectacular spider-man #310 (2017) by chip zdarsky has been recommended a lot and for good reason!! strong emphasis on peter's relationship with average new yorkers (and vice versa). will make you feel feelings

spine-tingling spider-man #1-8 (2021-22) also by saladin ahmed is a great little self-contained story for spooky season!!! it's a marvel unlimited exclusive rn but physical copies are set to come out soon and a sequel is in the works!!! i love juan ferreyra's traditional art so much too

deadpool annual #2 (2014) by christopher hastings. ok I'm cheating because it's a deadpool story BUT it deals with peter's anxiety and spidey senses going rampantly out of control because he's 1) convinced random new yorkers are chameleon and therefore are out to get him and 2) he has not gotten any sleep because of this. deadpool as the voice of reason is pretty fun. it's just a lighthearted little one-off plot (bros keep bros secret identities safe)

mary jane & black cat: beyond #1 (2022) by jed mackay is also another cheat but you should read it anyway (don't let the bad cover dissuade you). peter is unconscious in the hospital and attracting unwanted attention because he's suspiciously got both mj and black cat looking after him, and their resulting team up dynamic is really fun! mackay's standalone black cat stuff is pretty great too

are these, like, the best spider-man's 60+ yr run has to offer? probably not! but they're fun little stories if you're dipping your toes into the comics

[life-set-to-random]

Two observations:

Number One: Leonardo said “Wicked!” I never even thought about it when I was a kid because I’m from the New England region and we really do say “wicked” when we think something is cool. But here’s the thing, Leo is a born (hatched?) and raised New Yorker, they don’t say “wicked”.

With the frienemies relationship between New York and New England, it’s a whole thing, lol. It’s like siblings, we tease the living tar out of each other but no one else is allowed to pick on us. We helped them during 9/11, they helped us during the Boston Marathon bombing, we helped each other during the pandemic, etc.

With all this in mind, it makes sense that I find it weird Leo would say “wicked”. So I looked up where his voice actor, Michael Sinterniklaas, was from and it turns out he’s a French immigrant who primarily lives in the New York area. So I guess they may say “wicked” over there.🤷🏻‍♀️🇫🇷

Number Two: I know Usagi could go to just about any blacksmith in his dimension, or even the Nexus, and commission a sword for Leonardo, but where the heck did Leo get his for Usagi? Did he go back up state to the O’Neil family farm and forge it himself? Because remember he reforged his own Katana, with Raphael’s help, back when the Shredder first ran them out of New York.

If that is the case, I am even more in love with this scene!♥️ How freaking sweet is that?! He made it himself! And I bet Usagi helped make Leo’s because in the comics Usagi is always making friends with people and learning their trades.

🐇💙🐢🗡️🥰

[allergictocolor]

The Origin of the Addams Family

The Addams family has always been goth and enamored with the macabre. But did you know they didn’t always have names?

They started as recurring characters in New Yorker cartoons by Charles Addams in 1938. They were a mother, father, uncle, grandmother, two children, and a butler in an eccentric family. (Occasionally others joined them. It's a big family.) They weren’t all officially named until the 60s, when dolls were released of Wednesday and Morticia, and the TV show debuted in 1964.

Charles Addams made a LOT of cartoons in his lifetime, about 1,300 total*. Only 58 of those in The New Yorker featured the Addams family, but they are what he became best known for. He also published some collections on his own, eventually creating 150 standalone, single-panel comics featuring the Addams family.

You’d expect Charles Addams to look like Gomez, but he didn’t. He actually looked like this:

He based the father of his strange family on this guy:

That’s Thomas E. Dewey, the 47th governor of New York from 1943 to 1954. He ran for president in 1940, 1944, 1948, and 1952. He had a reputation for honesty, but he was also kind of a weirdo. It was said that he had "a personality that attracted contempt and adulation in equal proportion." Maybe that’s why Charles Addams based a character on him. Or maybe it’s just because he was funny looking.

Addams, who signed his name Chas, was only somewhat involved with the TV show. The rights to it belonged to his second wife. He earned residuals from the show, which placed him in dire straits once the show was canceled after only two years. At that point, he had come to rely on the income, and The New Yorker wasn’t publishing him enough for him to live off of.

The show had more tropey, goofy plots than their later adventures, since it was a sitcom. Charles Addams criticized the show because the characters were only “half as evil” as they were in his comics. They had run-ins with neighbors and local politicians. Gomez ran for mayor of their small town. They recommended Cousin Itt for a job at the zoo and he was mistaken for an exotic animal. Wacky hi-jinks that never rose to the heights of pouring boiling oil on carolers, as the family did in a Christmas strip Charles drew, which was later sold as greeting cards.

Still, the show expanded upon the original comics and established much of what became canon for the Addams family and its members to this day. They have a dungeon in their mansion they like to relax in. The front gate has a mind of its own. No one can quite explain where their money comes from. They try to help others, even though their help is rarely received well. And they can't understand why other people don't live like they do.

In the next few weeks, I'll be posting character profiles of the various members of the Addams family throughout the years, from what I can find of their inception up through the Netflix show. I hope you will enjoy it.

*edited to clarify that his 1,300+ cartoons were drawn in his lifetime, not exclusively for The New Yorker.

[homestuckreplay]

Webcomics at Day 100 #7: Achewood

Pages read: 10/1/2001 – 12/5/2002 & 4/13/2009 – 12/5/2009 (about 370 strips)

Reason for selection: Achewood is the webcomic that cultural institutions took seriously. Celebrated by Time, The New Yorker and Rolling Stone, the comic was wildly popular in the 2000s, with some of its strips – such as ‘Here Comes A Special Boy’ – still passed around the internet today without context.

Current status: Originally ran from October 1, 2001 to December 25, 2016, beginning with updates every weekday and becoming more sporadic over time including multiple hiatuses. Returned in 2023 and currently updates every Friday only for Patreon donors. Creator Chris Onstad is experimenting with use of AI in the artistic process.

Content warnings: frequent sexual content, heavy alcohol and drug use, slurs (especially the R slur), anti-Chinese racism, gender essentialism, occasional homophobia, sexism and fatphobia, suicide jokes, Harry Potter.

In 2002, Onstad states that his wife is Chinese in an effort to justify a strip that makes fun of a Chinese speaking character’s accent and name, suggesting that even in 2002 he already faced criticism for this portrayal, or felt he might.

Overall thoughts:

Achewood’s opening strip perfectly establishes the comic. It looks professional from day one, with crisp lines, recognizable character designs and an art style which would stay remarkably consistent throughout its run. But the humor of ‘Philippe is standing on it’ with its straight-faced delivery and lack of a punchline is really the defining feature of Achewood. It’s a type of humor that’s massively influenced the internet and persists to this day – some Achewood strips from 2002 feel like they could’ve been written this year.

The first few months of Achewood detail the lives of four of Onstad’s real stuffed animals in a fictionalized version of his own house, ’62 Achewood Court’. While they have remained major characters, two cats from the Achewood neighborhood, Ray and Roast Beef, became the true leads in 2002. Clicking ‘New to Achewood?’ on the comic’s website leads to the strip from March 21, 2002, but the site doesn’t make it clear that this is not the first strip. However, it is a good jumping in point – characters Téodor and Roast Beef state their names in this strip, and it comes shortly before a strip where character Mr Bear discusses his background as a children’s book author, which is the first time a character has had an in-depth backstory. It’s also partway into the comic’s first continuous story arc, the 26-strip ‘The Party’ arc – so it’s a time where Achewood is beginning to take itself seriously.  

Achewood doesn’t have an overarching story, instead placing a group of well defined characters with distinctive voices into a sandbox for a variety of story arcs. Most of these characters grow older and reach life milestones, developing slowly and organically. The plot follows no such guidelines – in June of 2002, Pat the cat reveals his newly built rocket ship, even though it’s never previously established that cats in this world can have engineering knowledge or technology, and in November of 2002, Ray the cat sells his soul to the devil in exchange for piano playing abilities in a strip that comes out of nowhere and impacts the rest of the comic’s run. When violence appears in the comic, it’s similarly out of nowhere, and a character getting shot or getting into a car accident happens unexpectedly with no foreshadowing, which gives a real sense that anything could happen when scrolling to the next strip.

Despite occasional experiments with color and promises for one full-color strip a week, Achewood stays monochrome for its full run. Its black, white and gray palette might contribute to Achewood’s being seen as serious literature. The comic tries hard to be intelligent in other areas, too – it educates the reader on the Roman poet Catullus (March 8, 2002), archaic felted wool terminology (June 2, 2009), and plants that cause neurological damage (the comic’s title), drawing attention to its knowledge each time. Sharing obscure facts, and knowing a lot of obscure facts as a sign of intelligence, is definitely something I associate with the internet.

Given its acclaim, I was surprised at how little scholarly work has been written on Achewood. I did find one conference paper on multimedia masculinity in the comic, which feels appropriate, as it’s very much a story about men. The characters are stuffed animals, cats, robots and occasionally squirrels, but they are very pointedly almost all men, who recreate the ideas that men and women are two disconnected categories with almost no common ground. I do think the comic explores masculinity in interesting ways, such as when the spirit of Billy Idol enters Philippe’s body in July 2002. However, Onstad’s clear capability of taking an absurd character and giving them complex humanity makes me wish this was applied to a female character, too – it’s glaring that the strip’s first woman, Penny, is contrived to always be off screen.

Between 2002 and 2009, Achewood’s strips evolved from a few panels on average to a full page, allowing for more complex stories and art in each update. There might be three or four panels that show the minutiae of a character opening a door, which years earlier would have happened in a single panel. There’s more use of shading and dark colors, and a sense that Onstad is still trying to stretch himself artistically, working with more complex themes such as the karmic cycle (August 31, 2009) and the morality of giving modern technology to historical people (April to May 2009). It feels like Onstad is trying to make the Oscar bait movie of webcomics, while keeping the Internet spirit of nacho based humor. It’s a hard balance to strike so I’m really impressed that it works.

During its original run, Achewood featured fanart on its website, which seems relatively common for webcomics and highlights how the internet broke barriers between fans and creators from its early days. Onstad has also spoken publicly about creator burnout, holding himself to impossibly high standards of both quantity and quality, and experiencing negativity from a large internet fanbase.

Achewood has been very well preserved, with all its strips easily available on a fast loading, ad free, mobile optimized website. The site is very well made, but it does use infinite scroll, which didn’t exist during Achewood’s original run, can’t be turned off, and really changes the reading experience. The active choice to click to the next page is part of webcomics for me, it increases my focus and investment when I have to make that decision each time instead of letting the strips scroll past. Infinite scroll takes the old-internet nostalgia out of the experience, too.

Finally, I think Philippe might be my favorite character from any non-Homestuck webcomic I’ve ever read. He’s a wide-eyed stuffed otter who is eternally five years old and I would tear the world apart for him.

Relevance to Homestuck: [ooc – contains spoilers for Act 5]

Achewood experiments with the webcomic form and meta layers in some ways that are similar to Homestuck and some that are different. Andrew Hussie links to Achewood in MSPA’s ‘No Shortage of Good Websites’ section, so where Hussie employs the same techniques as Achewood, it could be direct reference or inspiration.

From the start, strips can be three horizontal panels, four panels in a square, six panels in two lines, depending on what the day’s story needs. More complex formats including strips of 12 or more panels and strips with differently sized panels appear intermittently. Onstad is aware that he’s not working within the constraints of a newspaper or book layout and is using that freedom.

‘Cutting Room Floor #1’ (January 18, 2002) contains six panels, each with no context, supposedly from strips that never materialized. They’re arranged as if scattered on a table, a visual move that Homestuck will directly replicate. ‘Bloopers and outtakes’ (December 10, 2001) contains alternate panels from previous strips where the characters made mistakes or forgot their lines. ‘The unfinished strip’ (December 26, 2001) has five panels of story followed by a final panel reading ‘The cartoonist is too tired to finish this strip because his inlaws’ sofa-bed afforded him no sleep on Christmas’.

‘An ad’ (February 15, 2002) is an Achewood strip that doubles as an advertisement for the comic itself, and ‘En Espanol’ (April 25, 2002) and ‘Auf Deutsch (April 26, 2002) are strips in other languages. Interestingly, the German strip includes a translation while the Spanish does not. ‘The Making Of’ (May 29, 2002) details Onstad’s process of creating an Achewood comic from start to finish, presented as a strip in itself. ‘Thanatos Has Left the Building’ (September 15, 2009) is a newspaper-style wrap-up of the most recent story arc, featuring ‘loose ends, unanswered questions & exciting trivia’ presented up front instead of revealed organically in the story; Homestuck will also use recap and clarification as tools. Achewood characters write both original fiction (June 30, 2009) and fanfiction (August 2005) within the story, paralleling (among other things) Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff.

But my favorite example of playing with form is ‘Roast Beef’s Tone Poem’ (April 20, 2009), a 20-panel monologue from character Roast Beef with the alt text ‘Mix and match any four panels for instant *almost-works* inscrutability!’ I love this mix and match, create your own comic strip ethos, so I decided to create my own tone poem by rolling 4d20. Here’s the result.

Achewood quickly expands beyond the confines of the strip, just as Homestuck does. Achewood begins employing alt text on every strip in January 2002, with Onstad pretending for some months that somebody besides him is writing the text. Sometimes, the text announces what the comic will feature tomorrow, which is generally a lie – for example, alt text for May 30, 2002 reads ‘Mr. Bear tries to play chess with Todd but Todd has a cocaine problem – TOMORROW!’ while May 31’s strip does not feature Mr. Bear, Todd, chess, or cocaine. Alt text for September 8, 2009 reads ‘Meanwhile, even though he is supposed to be asleep, Philippe is using a flashlight to read a slender volume entitled, How Come a Bird Can Die?’ Philippe does not appear in the day’s strip, but we still get his story. Including a side story outside of the main panel is another technique Homestuck will use.

In a notable difference to Homestuck, alt text for September 30, 2002 reads ‘To-day is the 364-day anniversary of Achewood!’  while alt text for October 1, 2002 reads ‘I finished my soda!’ The true first anniversary is not acknowledged within the strip, and any celebration of it has not survived. This appears to be Onstad’s trolling, as future anniversaries do have dedicated strips.

On July 2, 2004, Onstad launched nine Blogspot blogs, eight for the comic’s main characters and one for himself, all of which received regular updates for the rest of Achewood’s run. Six zines, two novellas, a cookbook and an advice column all add new material to the canon, and it seems that Achewood outgrew the webcomic format altogether, as its final entry on December 25, 2016 is not a comic strip, but a post on Onstad’s blog. It includes the line ‘The blogs are where I personally think the heart and soul of that universe live… in words I haven't had to maddeningly jockey into tiny speech bubbles.’

In a final and wonderful parallel, for a brief period in 2009, Achewood becomes an adventure game. While nothing is interactive, strips from October 9 to November 7, 2009 are mostly written in Homestuck’s command-narrative text format. In the final adventure game strip, we even see the mechanisms behind the narrative prompt, a complicated system of pulleys and levers hooked up to a reel of paper. This is shown in three dimensions while other, two-dimensional Achewood panels happen around it. It’s one of the comic’s most experimental strips, and would not feel out of place in Homestuck.

Continue reading? Yeah, I had a blast reading this. I can imagine wanting to check this every day in 2002 for a momentary bright spot during work, and in the modern day, infinite scrolling the Achewood archives is probably a more enriching way to spend time than infinite scrolling on social media. Because of its sprawling format, lack of plot and current paywall, I don’t feel like I need to ‘complete’ Achewood, but I definitely want to see more of it.

[milimeters-morales]

hello again! :D

okay, top five favorite miles' costumes/looks/designs? hope ur having a nice day :)

omg sorry i never saw this <3 i’ll just list some more suits since i already really talked about my favs

1. of course i gotta include my beautiful daughter, lightning phenomena. look at his smile !!!

2. i know he was in a horrible situation right here (hope kletus kills himself) but the drip is crazy and it gave me one of my fav comic covers (not the pic below)

3. cosmic miles suit but i haven’t read this comic yet (comic spiderverse stuff intimidates me) so i don’t know if i truly like it outside of the “autism blast” and “fly’s worst nightmare” jokes i can make

4. most fashionable new yorker

5. also this first pic technically is miles but also isn’t, it’s his evil twin Selim who i could’ve saved and changed. trust me. i still think of an au where he and Mindspinner were able to forgive quickly and be given the Billie Snot treatment (maybe a little less gross but still) anyway this design/look is GORGEOUSSS. it’s tied with the second pic, i cannot remember which artist this was but they drew miles and rio sooo beautifully.