#art from various variant covers

[joker-and-the-queen]

“Hey, are we really gonna be the ‘sirens’?”

“I’m not sure if that’ll stick…

…but I’m pretty sure we’ll be friends.”

[suppermariobroth]

Top: in 2014, a commercial for a special collection of New Nintendo 3DS cover plates featuring Japanese singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu was released in Japan. This commercial is mostly known for featuring various Nintendo characters wearing original clothing designs (based on the cover plates being advertised), including a Mario outfit that later appeared in Super Mario Odyssey as the “Fashionable Outfit”.

Bottom: at one point in the commercial, a pink Bullet Bill with eyelashes appears briefly. It never received its own official artwork, unlike some of the other variant designs from the commercial. The Art of Super Mario Odyssey book provides a unique standalone image of this design, in a section about the inspiration behind the Fashionable Outfit.

Main Blog | Twitter | Patreon | Small Findings | Source: see bottom of image

[nevertoomanyspiders]

it's a Wheeler!

for literally no goddamn reason, have an assortment of Wheelers from various adaptations and depictions ...that aren't John R. Neill's art or Return to Oz stuff, everyone already knows those, haha.

...well ok except this one from the endpaper of Ozma of Oz because it's new to me, at least, and the gutenberg.org copy doesn't have it.

what a dang dork, bless. glad he and Tik-Tok set aside their differences to watch the race.

Illustration

from 1976 Polish edition of Ozma of Oz with art by Zbigniew Rychlicki, via Reddit:

these lads are so stylish and their oversized heads are pretty freaky, dang.

a very 17th century Wheeler from 1970 Japanese edition of Ozma of Oz, art by Sonoko Arai, via Hungry Tiger Talk:

a dang goofy Wheeler by Vlada Stolikovich, 1976. also via Hungry Tiger Talk:

anyway, fuck, um, everything else is under a cut because this post ended up a bit too long oops.

something I have a hard time finding information on beyond that what I assume to be a Korean translation (?) of an Indonesian edition (???) of Ozma of Oz with 3D CGI illustrations. would be fun to see if there's more images within. not a damn clue who made these illustrations, either.

gosh those Wheelers. dunno what the artist was going for but there's a bit of a renaissance vibe. what if this was an animated thing? on that note...

Animated adaptations

the 1987 direct-to-video short Dorothy Meets Ozma of Oz has uh. these fuckers. seemingly there's only two. probably because of low animation budget, lol.

well, I say there's two, but it's just one design with a palette swap one has blonde hair and pink coat, the other has black hair and orange coat or something. also it's not evident from the screenshots but these dorks have long, pretty eyelashes and GAWD the voice acting is. well. hear for yourselves.

one of my favourite moments is Ozma turning up, saying "Enough." and bonking a Wheeler on the head with her scepter. here's the time stamp.

oh yeah I'm sure a bunch of folks have seen the Wheelers as seen in Oz Kids courtesy of this post. they appear in the episode Who Stole Santa. (and no it wasn't the Wheelers, obviously, they're just here to be annoying and trying to prevent the characters from taking a specific path.)

the guy in purple, who I'm calling Squeky Wheel, looks a lot like the Wheeler in this Ozma of Oz chapter art by John R. Neill. poor guy got walloped pretty hard.

anyway only Squeaky talks while his two buddies remain silent. these guys are such pushovers and the kids aren't scared of them at all.

Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz (2017-2020) has these little bobble-headed goobers.

can't say I'm crazy about how they look but their characterization as reckless speedsters is a fun one. in one episode they even make friends with Tin Man after he replaces a busted wheel.

Ozu no Mahotsukai (オズの魔法使い, 1986-1987) has a... very strange interpretation of the Wheelers, but then, the series does play fast and loose with the source material as it is, which I don't mind! an adaptation doing something fun with the source material adds an element of unpredictability which I like... so, I'm not terribly surprised by how much they deviate from the book descriptions.

they wouldn't look too out of place in the B.C. comic strip.

and this segues perfectly to...

Comics

the Marvel comic adaptation of Ozma of Oz by Eric Shanower (writer) and Skottie Young (artist) probably has some of my fav depictions of the Wheelers, and I really like this variant cover (I believe it's by Eric Shanower?)

these guys are utterly freaky but also dang silly. watching these fucked up abominations bumble around defuses the terror.

there he go

so, there's the ones I've seen so far. if there's more that you know of, SEND THEM TO ME I NEED THEM SO BAD HELP

edit: OK there were some earlier Wheeler things I forgot about!

this Japanese edition has these kinda menacing looking Wheelers. I like the Osamu Tezuka influence here.

another Japanese version also covered by Hungry Tiger Talk with more robotic looking, super evil looking Wheelers, lol.

also as far as illustration, there's this old Italian edition of Ozma of Oz.

not exactly the most menacing looking Wheeler but he does have a fancy embroidered jacket.

and Billina has an adorable bonnet!

anyway that's all for now, at least.

[batbabydamian]

DC April 2024 Solicitations - Comics Featuring Damian! 🦇

BATMAN AND ROBIN #8

4/9/24

Written by Joshua Williamson

Art and Cover by Simone Di Meo

Variant Covers: Kael Ngu, Ejikure, Jim Lee, Nikola Čižmešija (1:25)

As Batman finds himself in the clutches of a new cult that worships Man-Bat, Robin continues his own investigation into his High School's connections to Shush! Can the father and son dynamic duo uncover Man-Bat and Shush's master plans before Gotham pays the price?!

WONDER WOMAN #6

4/16/24

Written by Tom King

Art by Daniel Sampere and Belén Ortega

Variant Covers: Julian Totino Tedesco, Pablo Villalobos, Joshua “Sway” Swaby (1:25)

Wonder Woman vs. The Sovereign! After being captured by a team of villains, Diana finds herself at the mercy of the scariest of them all. Unbeknownst to our hero, the Sovereign has been pulling her strings since the very beginning of our tale, and now it's time for her to see the world his way as she falls under the influence of the Lasso of Lies! Plus, Trinity visits the past and unexpectedly changes the future!

NIGHTWING #113/Legacy #300

4/16/2024

Written by Tom Taylor

Art by Various

Variant Covers: Bruno Redondo (original cover+1:25), Dan Mora, Jim Lee (Artist Spotlight), Jamal Campbell, Serg Acuna

Since the 1940's, you've seen him go from acrobat to orphan; from Dick Grayson to Robin; from Robin to Nightwing. You've seen him work alongside the universe's most powerful heroes, against existence's most sinister villains. You have seen Dick Grayson do so many things, but now, in his 300th issue, you will see him.. well, you'll just have to pick up the issue and find out. Join us for this legacy 300 milestone!

*DC’S SPRING BREAKOUT!

*Cover feature - Damian hang gliding in the bg :)

4/30/2024

Written by Meghan Fitzmartin, Cameron Chittok, Joey Esposito, Morgan Hampton, Patrick R. Young, Tom Krajewski, Mike Barr, and more!

Art by Kenya Danino, Vasco Georgiev, Paul Pellietier, Nico Bascuñan, and more!

Cover by John Timms

Variant Covers by Dan Mora

Spring has sprung! Flowers are blooming, bees are buzzing, Harley is breaking King Shark out of Belle Reve prison. all is right in the DCU as both heroes and villains face all sorts of different spring breaks. Breaking out of a coffin? Lex Luthor has that covered. Spring break training? Send in Superman! Breaking out of your shell? Batman and Mr. Freeze explore that possibility through a connection in their shared past. Breaking down a worthy adversary? Katana and her sword of souls might just be able to tackle that. And it wouldn't be a spring break without a Teen Titans beach trip! All these and more in DC's Spring Breakout! -eight breakout stories to put a spring in your step (is there a zit breakout story? You'll have to read to find out!)

TEEN TITANS: STARFIRE

7/2/2024

Written by Kami Garcia

Art by Gabriel Picolo

Kori Anders' summer job at a ritzy Santa Monica beach club is fun, but she doesn't care about keeping up with the current trends, and she's not interested in rushing around to all the parties. She'd rather explore her inexplicable draw to the stars or hang out with her new friend, Victor Stone. Her sister, Kira, on the other hand, is the most popular girl around. With the hottest clothes, an even hotter boyfriend (the Tate Fairweather), and a take-no-prisoners attitude, she's Kori's opposite in every way. Their summer heats up when Tate's uncle asks the girls to participate in an EDS study his pharmaceutical company is running. During treatment, Kori develops some strange powers she never had before...and she might not be the only one. Can Kori persuade her sister to trust her before it's too late? And when a carload of teens with their own powers come looking for her to warn her about a creepy stalker, she'll learn that trust is a two-way street!

[britt-kageryuu]

The guys are sitting around a large table that has a long grill through the middle, with a couple metal plates on some parts that act as griddles. The table seems to be on a rooftop somewhere, but the skyline is blocked by canvas sheets painted to look like a New York City Skyline.

The guys are all dressed in color coded shorts, their masks, and shirts with different graphics on them. Raph = an Aligator Snapping Turtle holding a barbell in its mouth wearing sweatbands, Donnie = Reboot Process Interrupted Current Mood: Murderous, Leo = a turtle covered ing glitter with a unicorn horn on its head, Mikey = I have a Psychology Degree and am Eager to Use It! (Threat).

They were having Yakiniku, with a few other things on the grills and griddles, chatting among eachother, and answering questions from the chat. On one end Mikey was experimenting with 'steam baking' a cake on the griddle.

Shelldon is flying around the area announcing the questions, while River is in stand-by/sleep mode on a box in the back charging. Shelldon is also acting as a speaker playing music as he floats around.

"So we had to send someone to grab some more ingredients, the poor new guy was so confused by the list, so I volunteered to go with him." Mikey says as he checks his experiment, "This guy apparently never went shopping in the marketplace before, and I swear he almost overpaid on ingredients, so many times. Senior Hueso gave us a budget, and I wanted to make sure we stuck to it."

Shelldon swerves around next to Donnie, "Hey Dad, TechnoTurtle, wants to know how you have so many 3D models in such a short amount of time. Got any answers Dude-Dad?"

Donnie was in the middle of eating so it took a minute for them to answer, "Well to be honest, I have planned to make numerous games with 3D models in the past, and then lost interest for various reasons. So I had all the Models saved on a spare memory bank." They pause to take a sip of their drink, "And before we get a question about the many outfits, I left some odd videogame clothes/costume data attached to the models so it's very easy to add new outfits. Think of our Models as videogame avatars instead of VTuber models. Also I don't know what programs others normally use for making VTuber models, Mandarin and I have been using a mix of my programs, and some free to use art programs."

Mikey is seen moving his cake experiment to a counter near the table to cool under a netted cube, "I may have made our original model concepts, and done some minor rigging for them, but once we discovered the mix of programming we use now, yeah definitely better for us. I may love doing art, but making models for VTubing was more complicated than I wanted to deal with." Mikey quickly grabs a few pieces of meat and veggies from the grill with tongs, "Heck, once I told everyone I designed our models, I had to emphasize on my commission page that I don't do models. But I have been making 2D, 2.5D model Assets, with a wide variety of skin tones, and even different species variants." Mikey says with some pride in his voice.

Leo was about to say something, but stopped to stare as Donnie starts to eat a sandwich, he made with grilled meats and veggies, whole. It wasn't an unusual sight for the guys, but it's been a while since he last saw Donnie do this. And that's not to mention the audience who are all very confused and concerned by this.

"I don't know why I'm surprised to see you eat like that Dee, but Wow. I forgot you could-" Leo paused for a sec, "That almost came out very wrong. And not in a way I would want to say."

Sadly some of the audience was able to pick up on the almost innuendo, thankfully they didn't mention it in chat, but they did make memes out of the clip.

Donnie looked at Leo with great offense after finishing his sandwich. "Annoyed Huff. Rude. Dear Brother, you can not fault me for my softshell instincts!" They say with a huff and crossed arms. Their tail seen whipping around behind them.

Raph just lets out a sigh with a shake of his head. "You two are always so chaotic with eachother. But you're my knucklehead brothers." He uses some custom chopsticks to flip the meat he put on the grill before eating it after a few seconds.

The stream goes on with more chatting, and eating, though after a bit of time they're joined by April, Cass, and CJ. With a note that their Dads are on vacation, to get away from some the guys chaotic antics recently.

The chaotic antics in question were not mentioned, much to the audiences great disappointment.

--------------------

Masterpost

This was at least partly my original idea for their 4th of July post, but I decided that the guys would rather just enjoy the festivities instead of streaming the entire time.

And yes Donnie is swallowing the sandwich whole. I just realized how wrong/weird it sounds to describe that hence the 'unspoken innuendo' line.

[dailycharacteroption]

Roleplay Ramblings: New Elements part 3

(art by BiagoDAlessandro on DeviantArt, as featured in Numenera by Monte Cook Games)

Character Options

So I’ve talked at length about what the new elemental planes are and what they mean, but now it’s time to get to the nitty-gritty and actually apply them to 1st edition, starting with the character options that players will actually be playing as in either the modern Lost Omens setting minus the edition change or in your own setting where you include these elements.

The first we have to focus on is new ancestries. While they are heritages in 2e, that doesn’t change the fact that we have two new geniekin planar scions running around, either being super rare individuals that lived before the re-emergence, members of bloodlines that spontaneously awakened to their ancestral heritage when the planes came back, or those that were born afterwards in the normal ways that planar scions typically gain their heritages.

These two ancestries are the ardande and talos, for wood and metal respectively, and since they were never mentioned in 1st edition you will have to homebrew them (or, you know, use the homebrew I made of them if you like). Thankfully pretty much every planar scion ancestry follows a similar sort of template for what abilities they get, with room for variant heritages and alternate traits, so you’ll have a decent starting position to work from. Additionally, consider that suli might also start drawing from those elements as well, though likely this will be more of a vibe thing as metal probably best evokes electricity or sonic if you can get away with it, while wood’s best energy type comparison is probably acid as a stand-in for poison.

Classes may have to be updated as well. However, there is a lot of ground already covered here , with wizards, oracles, and shamans all getting schools, mysteries, and spirits respectively centered around these aspects. Meanwhile, sorcerers and bloodragers could easily have the elemental bloodlines updated with metal and wood as options, as well as genie bloodlines for Zhura and Khizidar genies as well.

On a more minor note, having four new elemental lords means four new deities for your divine casters to play around with, requiring homebrewing for their domain, subdomain, and even potentially obedience lists.

Additionally, you may consider tweaking the kineticist to have a separate metal element like I did, as well as maybe slightly rework certain talents or talent lists. And for that matter don’t forget to tweak various other minor elemental options with other classes, such as the elementalist shifter, elemental rager, and so on.

Of course, we would be remiss to not talk about the various new elemental spells in Rage of the Elements, many of which explore the applications of the new elements, all of which makes for lovely conversion fodder. Of course, Rage of the Elements was the first hardback that uses the new Remastered paradigm for spellcasting. (And even then, original 2e had a slightly different interpretation of what spells belonged to which schools, but as long as you have a good understanding of what each First Edition school is meant to cover, you should have any trouble deciding which spell goes where. Also, while the elemental wizard schools do exist, they might need an update or trimming based on what each element represents in the new paradigm if you wanna go that far.

Even with such a brief summary as this, we can see the work that has been done and the work left to do for bringing these new elements into play in First Edition. However, tomorrow we’ll look into the more GM-side of things with new elemental monsters these planes provide, as well as more generally how elementals work between editions. Look forward to it!

[blorb-el]

superman: lost finale

tldr: huge L for people who want to see clark reintegrate into his life with people who love and accept him even when he doesn't feel he's 'being' correctly due to his enormous amounts of horrible trauma (me). but also huge W for people who want to look at clark ultimately addressing his trauma by doing something so batshit insane he would never ever inflict on another person but his self standards are so toxic babygirl you are SO fucked up (also me)

short plot recap: at the end of this issue, clark and hope go back in spacetime to the beginning of where he was dumped out of the space trawler's ship, and send past!clark back to earth. then the clark we've been following goes on to help the evacuation for ten years, and then become the time loop clark we saw in issue 7, warning his past self not to try to escape, while the past!clark he and hope sent back goes on to live with lois and be the in-continuity clark we're familiar with.

various disorganized notes upon this:

clois book and clois divorce book at the same time

the book is metacommentary on how editorial will never allow clark to actually have lasting effects from trauma because that's not marketable/palatable to people both inside the dcu and outside

nerds bein like 'ohhh that's not how time travel works' news flash: time travel is not real its a storytelling device. if it serves the author then it's how it works

i. loved lois in this. all throughout. i know some people think she's ooc but she's so angry and compassionate and her concern and drive is what intersects with clark's self sacrificial brain in the end to make his FUCKED UP choice it is just. tickles the brain in a capital T Tragedy way. fatal strengths/fatal flaws chefs kiss

immediately headcanoning Gatekeeper/timeloop clark to eventually become the superman-null of Strange Visitor even though i think he was visually based on Maggin's Ghost of Superman Future from Superman 416 (which, if you like time loops, you should read, and if you dont like time loops you should read anyway because it fucks). let me have this. or, i know that Gatekeeper says he's had this conversation over and over, but i would would also accept if he figures out how to break it eventually and then becomes an iterant space paladin

the hope-is-pregnant jumpscare was. fine whatever 😔 a concession to serialized storytelling demanding cliffhangers. shoutout to parthenogenesis was nice but That Aint How It Works......like That's The Point Of Asexual Reproduction You Don't Need Another Person's DNA.......

this issue was fun to read alongside the current arc of WF since mark waid is also pointing out clark's flaw of impossibly impossibly high standards for himself in the way that main universe clark is so furious and disgusted with kingdom come clark; main universe bruce has never seen him that angry before bc clark's hatred/fury/fear of his own failures is obviously usually internalized

lex's part in this book was so damn good. that egotistical genius delusional psychosexually obsessed loony. especially the bit about the paintings. stop imagining yourself in a naked wrestling match with your enemy. time to listen to les troyens i guess

throughout the whole book the art has just been. incredible. coloring lines inking the whole thing. the stylistic change in 7 was interesting, not my favorite art, but it worked bc they were in a black hole at the time. i got some of the lee weeks variant covers and they're so incredibly good.... but the mainline covers were also wonderful.

slaps roof of superman. this fellow sure can get lost

anyway. if you made it to the end low effort mspaint sillies

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

THE PERFECT ORGANISM MULTIPLIED BY FOUR OF THE GREATEST VARIANTS IN THE UNIVERSE.

PIC(S) INFO: Mega spotlight on assorted textless variant cover art to "Aliens: Dust to Dust" Vol. 1, a four-issue limited comic book series that was first published by Dark Horse Comics from April 2018 to January 2019, with the first issue being released as part of Alien Day. Carlos D'Anda provided variant cover art for each issue.

Source: Comic Hub Stores, https://avp.fandom.com/wiki/Aliens:_Dust_to_Dust, Dark Horse Comics, various, etc...

[zahri-melitor]

I find that a lot of conversations around dick and barbara as a couple are held in bad faith, period. in fandom spaces i feel like most of the time it's due to how ntt/wolfman is highly revered vs the distaste for other nightwing writers (interestingly i do not think the flaws in wolfmans runs are as criticized) and the allegedly all-powerful, hateful Bat Editorial who don't want the "good" relationships to thrive

Like, I have no problem with people shipping whatever they want to ship. I have my own non-canonical ships that people have issues with. Generally if I don't like a ship I just avoid its content, because I have been in online fandom for over two decades and my patience ran out on shipping wars years ago.

That said: acting like Dick and Barbara, a couple who have been a default relationship shown on page and used as 'endgame' in potential futures and in multiple tv, cartoon and video game adaptions for decades now is out of the blue writing for DC, and a writer people don't like (Tom Taylor) is 'forcing them together' is so ludicrous I can't help but laugh.

Like, you can think NTT is the highest form of art DC has ever produced (I don't, personally; it's way too soap opera for my tastes) and still realistically face Dick and Kory broke up in main DC canon in 1994. When they were 21/22 years old.

It has been THIRTY YEARS.

They have not got back together since. There have been hints and jokes in various Titans-associated titles, here and there. Dick slept with Kory immediately after breaking up with Barbara AND having been sexually assaulted by Catalina, and so on. They have not been in a serious relationship again.

(It's actually interesting if you're reading comics, because Kory very very very rarely appears in Dick's titles apart from in flashbacks, but if it's a Titans title the writers are more likely to joke about their previous relationship. Which means depending on what you're reading you can get a different impression of how seriously it's still taken)

Occasionally stories reference possible futures where Mar'i Grayson exists. (I'd say the DickBabs futures probably outnumber these now but you know, Mar'i turns up every now and then, probably because she has a canonical name unlike the DickBabs red haired moppets you also get in other stories).

The relationship features in a bunch of adaptions, mostly ones centred during the NTT time frame.

I get it! There is content around!

But if you're talking about what's a realistic story to see DC Comics put out? DC is quite happy to take your money for a variant cover. They also clearly have absolutely no intention of having Dick and Kory dating on page while Dick has an ongoing solo that sells that is under Bat Office editorial, and Nightwing (or an alternate title like Batman or Grayson) has consistently sold since 1996.

Solos rank higher than team books in almost every metric.

[satoshi-mochida]

All in Abyss: Judge the Fake launches April 10, 2025 for PS5, Switch, and PC - Gematsu

Poker battle mystery adventure RPG All in Abyss: Judge the Fake will launch for PlayStation 5, Switch, and PC via Steam on April 10, 2025, publisher Alliance Arts and developers ACQUIRE and WSS playground announced. The console versions are newly announced.

Here is an overview of the game, via Alliance Arts:

About

…for every victor who gains it all …there is a loser, left with nothing. In this game, you adventure to become a successful gambler by challenging others at the game of Texas Hold’em Poker. —poker battles.

Texas Hold’em

In this game you will challenge others in a one-versus-one battle of a variant of poker called Texas Hold’em. Texas Hold’em is a popular variation of poker where players are dealt two cards each and use a combination of those cards and five community cards to make the best possible five-card hand.

Activate Skills

The “gambling prodigy” Asuha is capable of turning the tides of battle using various skills, sourcing from her aptitude in gambling. Limit the opponent’s play, gain insight beyond their hand, and much more… stay victorious with skills that expand the pool of decision-making.

All-In

“All-In” is a command that puts all chips on the table and your life as a gambler on the line. Use various means to put yourself in a favorable position, and use this command to slam the final nail in the coffin.

Showdown vs. The Witches

A “Witch” is a Boss Character present in each chapter of the game. All Witches excel at poker, but with enough preparation, the player can expose the Witches’ fraudulent acts and sink them to the depths of hell with a deadly All-In.

The City

The scene is set in The City, where various information can be gathered. Find sources to help unveil the secrets behind the Witches’ cheats and frauds to achieve sweet vengeance. Out of cash? The City abounds with gamblers, challenge them in poker to earn some buck. Be careful though, as losses may lead you into the depths …

Expose the Witches’ Hand

Your finesse in poker may earn you some cash in The City, but the Witches—who rule the districts, will not allow for a fair victory. Their methods of cheating seems to be fool-proof, but the evidence you uncover will say otherwise. Explore every inch of the city and expose the cheaters of their tricks.

Story

Asuha Senahara, a self-proclaimed genius gambler, is a wanderer. Amidst the tables of cards and dice, it is she alone who snatches the chips at stake. One day, she learns of the “gambling district,” a special ward where gambling holds influence above all else. The “Witches”—a group of the most extraordinary gamblers rule over the place—treat Asuha to the taste of defeat; something she was unfamiliar with. They exercised not luck, not skill, but dirty tricks, such that felled Asuha to the depths of the abyss. As a self-proclaimed genius gambler, Asuha becomes determined to take down the Witches. The Coliseum is the battlefield. The challenger is Asuha Senahara. The chips are on the table, and the Witches are ready to be exposed.

Characters

Asuha Senahara – Self-proclaimed genius gambler. A failure of a human being, but has a strong resolve and is determined when it comes to gambling. A pretty young lady on the cover, a middle-aged old man on the inside.

Mina – Savior of the freshly-defeated Asuha. Has good eye sight.

Uru – The First Witch. Uses her mysterious powers to easily defeat Asuha. Loves snacks and sweets.

Staff

Planning and Development: ACQUIRE (developers of Octopath Traveler)

Scenario: Shusei Sakagami (scenario of Heaven Burns Red)

Character Design: SKYn

Production: WSS Playground (planning and production of NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD)

Watch a new trailer below.

Release Date Trailer

English

Japanese

Korean

Traditional Chinese

[gorogues]

Spoilers for comics in March 2025!

You can see the solicitations in full at Adventures In Poor Taste.

THE FLASH #19 Written by SIMON SPURRIER Art by VASCO GEORGIEV Cover by MIKE DEL MUNDO Variant covers by DAVID NAKAYAMA and STEPHEN SEGOVIA $3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock) ON SALE 3/26/25 THE RISING TIDE OF ANGER! While The Flash uses his new abilities to serve both the Justice League and his family on Skartaris, the fury above and below ground can’t be controlled—to what lengths will Wally West push himself to figure out the source of the conflict?

Marco's Skartaris story continues, and unfortunately DC probably spoiled the "source of the conflict" on a variant cover, lol. (Hint: it's an established character, but not a Flash villain).

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #5 Written by MARK WAID Art and cover by DAN MORA Variant covers by NATHAN SZERDY, MARK SPEARS, and SALVADOR LARROCA 1:25 variant cover by DAN JURGENS 1:50 variant cover by GAVIN GUIDRY International Women’s Day variant by JENNY FRISSON $3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock) ON SALE 3/26/25 The keys to the mysterious superterrorist organization Inferno begin to be revealed as the Justice League realizes it’s an intergalactic threat led by one of their oldest foes! Time is running out to save the world with the help of…the Legion of Doom?

See the cover above with Len. I'm curious about the in-story reason for Len working with the Legion of Doom in the main DCU, assuming the cover is accurate.

THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #30 FACSIMILE EDITION Written by GARDNER FOX Art by MIKE SEKOWSKY and BERNARD SACHS Cover by MIKE SEKOWSKY and MURPHY ANDERSON Foil variant cover by MIKE SEKOWSKY and MURPHY ANDERSON ($6.99 US) Blank sketch cover ($4.99 US) $3.99 US | 32 pages ON SALE 3/5/25 A mysterious (though temporary) vanishing of their various superpowers has the Justice League rattled! When a series of bizarre thefts begins, carried out using the pilfered powers of the League, can our heroes protect the next targets? The ingenious Professor Ivo makes his diabolical debut alongside his criminal creation, Amazo!

Sam has the briefest of cameos in this classic Silver Age issue.

JLA BOOK TWO Written by GRANT MORRISON and others Art by HOWARD PORTER and others Cover by HOWARD PORTER and JOHN DELL $49.99 | 584 pages | 6 5/8″ x 10 3/16″ | Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-115-2 ON SALE 4/22/25 Featuring cosmic adventures, a race through time, the disappearance of adults across the world, the terrible villainy of Darkseid, Lex Luthor’s Injustice Gang, Starro, the introduction of Prometheus, and more! Collects JLA #10-23, JLA Annual #2, JLA: Secret Files & Origins #2, JLA: World Without Grownups #1-2, and New Year’s Evil: Prometheus #1.

Evan has a prominent role as a member of Luthor's Injustice Gang...with a twist.

SUICIDE SQUAD BY JOHN OSTRANDER OMNIBUS VOL. 1 Written by JOHN OSTRANDER and others Art by LUKE McDONNELL and others Cover by HOWARD CHAYKIN $125.00 | 1024 pages | 7 1/16″ x 10 7/8″ | Hardcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-141-1 ON SALE 5/20/25 Where it all began! Comics legend John Ostrander introduces the Suicide Squad for the modern age in this brutal tale of war and redemption. Collects Suicide Squad #1-18, The Doom Patrol and Suicide Squad Special #1, Checkmate #1 and #8, The Fury of Firestorm #62-64, Firestorm the Nuclear Man Annual #5, Justice League International #13, Legends #1-6, Manhunter #1, Secret Origins #14, a story from Secret Origins #28, and pages from Millennium #4.

Digger omnibus! Okay, and the rest of Task Force X is there too.

[margueritesauvage]

Here's my variant cover for the comic book coming from this amazing indie videogame #venturetothevile by @CutToBits you can back it here and get plenty of amazing arts from various super talented comics creators: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cutobits/venture-to-the-vile-comic-project

#indiegame #videogamecomics #Kickstarter

[drifting-pieces-blog-blog]

Breaking down the comics: Taking the hit (Issue #26)

Moon Knight Issue #26: Hit it! / The Cabbie Killer

Two in one! What a wonderful time to be alive! 

Also this cover really gives me modern comic feels and I have no idea why. I feel like I've seen a variant of this cover before or perhaps another comic did a similar theme. Hmmm. 

We start with an editor's note from Denny O'Neil! That's either a good thing or a bad thing when it comes to a newer comic that is experiencing its first big few years and establishing characters and villains. 

It reads: 

Falling on our noses? 

   In tai chi chaun, a gentle and wonderful combination of martial arts and exercise, there is a concept called "exploring the limits." This means testing how close you can let an opponent come before he hits you and how far you can extend yourself towards him before you lose your balance and fall on your nose. What you learn is where your body is, its boundaries, and the distance it can be extended and yet retain wholeness and identity.

In Moon Knight we're exploring the limits. 

We're asking: What kind of adventures can our hero have and still be his own unique self. (Can we do fantasy? Science fiction? Humor?) How long should stories be? (One per issue? Two? Three? Or should a story extend over a number of issues?) How many liberties can we take with the traditional comic book format? (Our black-and-white covers are a solid success. but we're not sure about our other experiments --putting the title on the inside cover, next issue ads on the back cover, text features, cover galleries and whatever we come up with next.) 

Lots of questions. Very few answers. 

But that's okay. In fact, that's fine. That's what makes working on Moon Knight just about the most exciting job in comics. I've always liked journeys and everyone likes surpirses and Moon Knight is both. The magazine--and character--are fluid, not fully defined and we're busy exploring the limits. 

Of course, we may fall on our noses. You'll let us know if we do.

-Denny O'Neil. 

Okay! So this is a big thing for early comics! Many of you are only familiar with newer age comics and have graced Golden Age comics with a peak or two. But we’re sitting firm in the early 80s and Moon Knight is indeed a character that is unlike any other that was sitting firm in Marvel’s top tier. Born from a supernatural/horror type portion of Marvel that saw the birth of Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night, and others of the likes, Moon Knight bordered on classic Super-hero and supernatural horror. 

The note about Tai Chi and extension is actually really beautiful and a perfect metaphor for Moon Knight. I’ll have to remember that one! 

Now, to have a clear call to arms in where to take Moon Knight means that they have had this conversation in the writing room. They don’t know what to do with the comic. They have classic stories and ideas, but they don’t want to start repeating themselves this early int he game, but they also don’t want to jump the shark. 

It also means that this particular comic that we are about to read might be an experiment on where to take the comic. So let’s see what the story of the week is! 

We open with some utterly outstanding art. I mean, this stuff is GOLD. We got TWO spreads people! 

The first page describes the colors of sound. The beat of jazz and how it affects the senses. 

"First there is black. Then tehre is light, and all the colors of Jazz. And there is sound in these colos. A wailing trumpet drips cool violet, threaded with smoke. Heavy blue lumbers from the bass... While the clarinet tempts and tantalizes in hot pink counterpoint. But the drum... The drum beats Blood Red." 

We move from jazz to images of various uses of the phrase "Hit it!" Hit it to be starting the jazz band swinging. To fix a malfunctioing TV, to encourage a baseball player to hit the ball out of hte park to a child's drawing....

"Double meanings sometimes multiply." 

An abusive father and a crying child. 

"But even as a trumpet screams through the night...The drum still beats Blood Red.” 

"Hit it, Moon Knight. The night is here, the moon is full, and caught between one and the other dark deeds will prowl. Hit it, Moon Knight. Hit it. 

Cats in windows, cries from the alley, shadows mixing, and mysteries cloaked for the kill. Hit it, Moon Knight, Hit it. 

Fear in lurking, money itching to change hands, twitching and always, always blood to be spilled. 

It's hot, Moon Knight, and it's dark and it's now--Don't be late, Moon Knight, Not for your time to howl...

It might be in rage or it might be in pain...But never fear, Moon Knight, it's always the same. 

Just hit it, Moon Knight... Hit it!" 

Sometimes I think Moench just shows off. And then Sienkiewicz just FLEXES. 

We see Moon Knight on patrol. He passes by a building and we hear some men talking. 

One complains about the graveyard shift to Joe. 

But Joe isn't paying attention. He's having a flashback. 

He's reading the newspaper. Specifically the Obituaries. We see a children's drawing of the angry father. Joe throws the paper and runs away. 

He runs to a jazz club where the crowd flows out onto the sidewalk. 

Joe runs into the crowd and comes across a man in the way. 

Moon Knight notices the commotion and heads on over. 

"Just down the street the colors are wilder --Neon shrieks without mercy...And the beat is younger, faster, harder... Pounding, driving, relentlessly slamming... Everybody is doing it these days, getting great satisfaction..." 

They move past the jazz club to a rock house. 

Along the way we see people beaten, bloodied, and terribly wounded. 

"By hitting...hitting...hitting it!" 

Joe makes it to his destination at last: The funeral parlor. 

"I'm coming old man! Coming to pay my respects!" 

The blood red drum beats and he bursts into the parlor. 

There he finds the coffin of his father. 

A priest tries to speak to him. 

Joe beats the man down. 

Joe is ready to fight. To fight anyone that tries to stop him. That stands between him and his father. Him and his past. 

"Did you come to hit me too? Well, come on then--Hit me! Hit me till your arms fall off! You might as well...

He did it often enough! He hit me till I couldn't sleep at night--Any night! 

And then he hit me some more! And then he ran away--Left my mother alone! Finally he wouldn't hit me anymore! Finally he wouldn't even give me that!" 

Narration: "Blood red... The beat never ends... Pain, catharsis, rage--They shriek through nights lost to time..." 

Narration: "Turn away, Moon Knight--You were wrong--It's not your time to howl. There are others with stronger voice, greater cause..."

The priest interrupts demanding that Moon Knight stop him. 

Moon Knight: "No... There's been enough hitting tonight... I won't add to it." 

While Moon Knight talks to the priest, Joe stands up and punches Moon Knight. 

Here we remember that Marc Spector was a boxer. His violence settling from the school yard to the ring until his father turned him out. Marc moved from the ring to the battle field to the mercenary role. Marc runs hot with rage and fire. Who is he here? The raging child fighting back or the monster with nowhere else to put his fire than into those around him? 

A Rabbi once told him to stop. A Rabbi that tried to lead him down a path of passive peace when the world around him was violence and pain. A father that could not stand the sight of his son fighting back. 

Now we see a priest telling him to fight and him standing up and saying there is enough violence in the world that perhaps just this once there can be peace. 

And when violence falls on him, he does not take the passive path. He can’t. Everything Marc is and has been is refusing to look the other way while he is hurt. 

Narration: The crowning madness... Long live the king. And so, Moon Knight, the night was yours after all... And once started, the drum beats blood red...Forever." 

He is angry with himself. Angry at his loss of control. Angry that he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t stop the violence. He couldn’t stop his own rage. His own need to hit back. To hit it. 

What an opener. This one has me feeling a lot here. The direction of past trauma on those around us. The need to get resolution only to have it taken away from us. How it leads to more pain. More hurt. More trauma. 

Does this remind anyone of anything?

Yeah. I went there. 

PART TWO: Cabbie Killer! 

This story is written by Denny O'Neil with artist Keith Pollard and editor Ralph Macchio. 

I know what you’re thinking. “Oh no, Jake!” 

We open on Jake sitting in his cab late at night. 

"This is Lockley. I'm headin' for the garage after I drop my fare." 

In the buses waits a man with a bazooka. 

Narration: It is quiet in Brooklyn, this cool autumn evening, as Jake Lockley ends a day of driving around New York City--Quiet for exactly four more seconds...Then, two events occur simultaneously. Lockley stamps on the breake to avoid "STUPID DOG" --and the car parked a few feet away erupts in eye stinging flame...

Jake's fare asks if it was an accident or a bomb. 

Jake sits stunned. "Neither. Just before the fireworks, I glimpsed a muzzle flash from the bushes. Weird as it seems, somebody shot off an old fashioned Bazooka! The thing that bugs me is, it looked like we were the target.... You got any enemies, mister?" 

Jake's fare decides it's probably safer to walk and departs the cab. Probably for the best. 

We cut to an hour or so later on a pier somewhere. We see a man in fancy military garb talking to another guy. 

He explains that because of the dog, he missed his target and the target got away. He explains that he will try again with success next time.

The other guy tells him he doesn't give second chances and to 'take a hike'.  

Military guy isn't happy. 

"You have hired me to destroy a taxi cab and so I shall--whether you like it or not. I gave my word--And Commodore Donny Planet always keeps his word. Understood?" 

Let me just say: WHAT A NAME. 

Oh no. I didn't think it was this issue. I suppose I take solace in knowing now that it isn’t Bill that gave us Speeden. It always seems wrong to see old Moon Knight drawn by someone else. They just don’t get the face right. 

But they sure do get the dialogue right. And the name. Steven. Because we all know who the vain one of the group is. Someone has to take care of the body and we all know it isn’t going to be Marc or Jake. 

Ladies and Gents and all of the others, I give you Speedo Steven. 

The pool scene wasn’t even needed. He literally came home after being shot at by a bazooka, changed into Steven, took a dip into a pool, then ran off to Brooklyn as Moon Knight. There was absolutely ZERO need for Steven to get into the smallest speedo he could find and take a swim. He even demanded that Marlene and Frenchie….wait. He demanded that Marlene meet him by the pool. She showed up in a bikini, expecting lovely pool time. Frenchie just showed up! In full attire. He was just there for the show. He takes it where he can get it, I suppose. 

Moon Knight, now flying over the city, spots something burning. On closer look, he finds a cab on fire. 

It seems the Bazooka man found a cab to hit. 

Saddened by the loss of a cab, he is at least relieved to know that Jake Lockley is not the primary target. 

Moon Knight tells Frenchie to take them to the Queens Cemetery. 

"For months, I've known that a lot of our local criminal types play poker there every Friday night...They figure they won't be disturbed. Maybe one of them will have some answers for us." 

Once there, he directs Frenchie to grab his cab and park it near the north gate. 

I just gotta say... I have always loved the idea that all the bad guys get together to play poker and complain about their foes. Takes me back to the Batman Animated Series "Almost got him" episode. 

I also gotta say that no one draws Moon Knight's face right in classic outfit with little emotive eyes like Bill. This one is just...lacking. They also over buffed him out in muscles. 

Just a small criticism. 

I do appreciate that Frenchie does still have his moon hat though. I love that stupid hat. 

Moon Knight takes out the guards and interrupts the poker party. 

One of the guys at the party knows something and spills it. 

"One of my boys was runnin' from the law...Ducked into a garage and hid a certain tape cassette the cops want in a cab. He told us that much before he died from a slug in the chest. Problem was he didn't say which cab or where in the cab he hid it." 

Turns out three cabs were in the garage that night. They hired Commando man to track the three cabs down. 

The boss man at the table laughs that Moon Knight isn't going anywhere and calls over a hired goon with a gun. 

Crawley! 

Now Crawley is a sort of undercover informant for Moon Knight and all the baddies at the poker table trust him. 

So Moon Knight has a problem. He can't fight Crawley like he was a regular thug. But if Crawley doesn't shoot him then they will know he's working for Moon Knight and lose all trust. 

Crawley takes a wide shot and Moon Knight uses the chance and kicks Crawley in the face. 

The choices he makes sometimes...

Crawley is knocked out and the thugs all scatter. He takes a moment to make sure Crawley is alright then runs after the main guy. 

The boss spots a nearby parked cab and jumps in. 

Moon Knight calmly sits at the wheel. 

He informs the boss that this is one of the cabs from the garage and that he suspects the Bazooka man is waiting at the garage for a shot. 

"You've got a choice: Either tell me where to find your assassin or we cruise 'round and 'round till HE finds US! Might take all night, but I'm in no hurry." 

The boss is more than ready to give up the goods and tells Moon Knight where Commodore Donny Planet is. 

He finds the Commodore in a boat. They fight and Moon Knight finds the Commodore to be freakishly strong. 

Moon Knight strikes at normally vulnerable spots only to get tossed around like nothing. 

It's near invulnerable vs. Moon Knight's ability to take the most brutal beating and keep going. 

Moon Knight switches tactics and tosses some Judo in, keeping the large man off balance. 

He knocks the man off the boat into a fishing net. 

"The safe thing-The smart thing- would be to just let him drown." He contemplates for but a moment. "No." 

He jumps in and saves the large brute then leaves him for the cops. 

And that’s the end of the cabbie killer. 

I must say, this one ended on a let down. I feel that if Moench had written it, we’d have ended on Jake finding the tape in his cab or something to indicate that he was the mark all along. Maybe that’s just me. 

Especially after the first half with “HIT IT”. That one was really amazing. Fantastic art, a very heavy subject, and only took a few pages to cover it. Even though it didn’t end with a distinct note, it still felt like an end. A story that needed to be told that still somehow painted a picture of Moon Knight despite it being a one off that didn’t give any sort of moral or definitive point. The man still was angry over a past pain that will never be resolved. He’ll end up in prison because of all the people he hurt, and his mental health will never be addressed. 

And that editorial at the start! What a piece! Learning to reach only as far as our body can go and learning not to get hit. I'm going to be thinking about that one for a while. Wow.

But that’s the story of Moon Knight, isn’t it? A story of underlining pain and trauma that affects his everyday life but that is never resolved, addressed, or healed. How it radiates out to affect everyone around him and the way he struggles to make the right choice and do the right thing…even though everything around him forces him back into that corner that forces him to fight for his life over and over again. 

[lottachaos]

MY BLORBOS (MY MAIN THING YEEHAW)

I have made picrews of my Blorbos I would post art but my sketchbook is in a different room and I am lazy

Veryn, the main one, who is also my persona:

Matthew who is Veryn’s boyfwend:

Hes really tan but I can’t always make him seem that way

anyways gonna rant now

veryn is a gremlin who is a lot like me in real life but more my my ideal version of myself. He is high energy and chaotic and loud but he can be serious when he needs to be. He has chronic RBF (Resting Bedroomeyes Face)

Matthew is chill and quiet and worries and lot and does this cute little worries gentle smile that veryn freaking falls for. He seems like he doesn’t do any chaos crap but then he goes and does some wild thing and you realize why veryn fell in love with him. He is covered in scars bc of various stuff he accidentally got involved with.

veryn lives half in the woods and half in an appartement. He has wings. Sometimes he has horns and these dark on his face and shoulders but that only appears when he’s in very stressful situations.

Matthew lives in an appartement with his sister who is named Katie and has a job or goes to college, I haven’t decided which yet

they are both in their young twenties, no more that 24.

Matthew somehow gets some sort of forestry Wiley thing like veryn has but idk how. All I know is that he gets this long whipping tail with a tuft at the end which is the thing in the back of one of the picrews of him.

Matthew is covered in scars bc veryn is in the middle of this big situation where he’s fighting against these magical eldritch entities and Matthew at one point finds him in the woods fighting them and tries to help and then gets beaten up and bitten by magical snakes and almost dies. That is where most of his scars come from (he has a scar that looks like a dinsosaur on his left side just beneath his rib cage. It’s called the dinoscar) but some various other events give him lil other scars

Veryn is much better at defending himself because he has been having to fight for much longer and so does t have as many obvious scars. He does have on long one on his neck because enemies tries to slice it at one point but he lived.

Matthew usually wears a black turtleneck and this tan cardigan looking jacket. Some of the picrews I used didn’t have that option so I had to make due.

Veryn usually wears a bright green shirt about the color of the “Draft saved!” Pop up that happens in tumblr when you take ages to write a post. Then he wears a brown jacket on top and black or brown pants and some brown boots. He basically dresses kinda like a redneck but when you see the clothes on him you cannot see anything but skinny gay forest being.

Oh yeah Veryn’s wings look like the brown variant of a tawny Eagle. Basically. Except a little more brown and a little less white and dots/stripes.

I stayed up till one am last night writing a (rather spicy) fic for them. I will share SOME of it here in a different post. I will also show some art of these two in a different post. Stay tuned, anyone who’s interested!! Eventually I will probably make some sort of book or smth about these two. Yes Ik I use tropes and it’s not super realistic in a lot of ways but I understand that and I don’t really care because I’m just making the story to be however its best to me and cringe culture is dead .

CRINGE IS TEMPORARY BLORBO IS FOREVER!!

Anyways, there you have it. I’ll post more later. I’m so excited I’ve finally put info about them all in one place bc I rlly needed to do that. k bye

[phoenix-is-the-hottest-thing]

From what I've seen the sexualization of Honkai characters is actually slightly more.

i.e. if you play as busty characters in Honkai Impact and jump off a building, you can get stuck to the ledge by your character's boobs. You cannot do this in Genshin.

Honkai Star Rail is a separate spinoff game in the Honkai series, and also a separate game from Honkai Impact 3rd. So you're off topic.

Also that's not sexualization?? What the hell do you think that word means? That's caused by terrible open world physics, not character design. Big boobs aren't inherently a sexual thing in the first place. In gacha games any chest is a sexualized chest anyway.

Pardon me for quoting wikipedia here but.

Sexualization is linked to sexual objectification. According to the American Psychological Association, sexualization occurs when "individuals are regarded as sex objects and evaluated in terms of their physical characteristics and sexiness."[3] "In study after study, findings have indicated that women more often than men are portrayed in a sexual manner (e.g., dressed in revealing clothing, with bodily postures or facial expressions that imply sexual readiness) and are objectified (e.g., used as a decorative object, or as body parts rather than a whole person). In addition, a narrow (and unrealistic) standard of physical beauty is heavily emphasized. These are the models of femininity presented for young girls to study and emulate."

Bigger boobs = Sexualized is an overly simplistic way to understand things. Sexualization is SITUATIONAL.

A good way to actually show it at work is comparing splash art designs, for example.

The emphasis on Welt is on his expression and reaching posture, and he's fully covered. The emphasis on Silver Wolf, DESPITE THE FACT THAT SHE HAS A FLAT CHEST, is on her bare legs and midriff. Same game! Sexualization is a matter of PRESENTATION , not just design, and I'd argue Welt is meant to appeal to straight women (though he's popular with various queer folks too) and therefore fits the well dressed older man archetype because of that, not because he's not meant to be seen as sexualized. It's all about those gacha bucks.

Now let's take a look at Genshin and compare. ON ONE SIDE, Zhongli and Gorou:

....WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT! The same design patterns! They're also sexualized!!! (Included characters released far apart to show it's always been like this). Zhongli's in the same situation as Welt, while the rest are all various flavors of overly naked and showing it.

Now, since you did mention it, let's look at Honkai Impact 3rd:

While Aponia I picked specifically because she's the worst offender of nonsense clothes in the entire game, overall I don't find them any more sexualized than Genshin designs. Pardo is basically wearing the same amount of clothing as Candace, if not more, etc. And if you're curious about whether Hi3 also has the well dressed older appeal archetype:

We do, there's even a variant of it.

[thejoyofseax]

Fermented Oatmeal Porridge

This is the first of the weirder-sounding porridges I tried. The idea came from Julia Skinner's Our Fermented Lives, in which she describes a number of fermented porridges, from various grains and in various cultures. One of the main ones is the Scottish sowans and the byproduct drink called swats, which are variants I'll work on in future. This one, however, is just plain oatmeal, fermented in brine.

What I did was pour some oatmeal into a bowl, add a handful of salt, pour in enough cold water to cover it, cover the bowl in cling-film, and leave it to sit by itself for six days. It developed a froth on top, with large bubbles, which formed a kind of skin on the liquid. I scooped that off, poured off the remaining water, and put the resulting gloop into a saucepan and heated it. It looked like ordinary oatmeal porridge going into the saucepan, but once it got heat on it, it thickened rapidly to the consistency of a stiff roux, and showed every sign of going completely solid and sticking to the pan if I heated it any more. So I scraped it into a bowl and tried it, first on its own, and then with a little bit of butter.

It was weird. It's not a kind of taste I'm otherwise familiar with, and it took me until I was halfway through the bowl to really pin it down. It hit a lot of the same taste notes as cheese, more so with the addition of the butter. Somewhat salty cheese, like manchego, but with more umami and sour notes. It was very smooth in texture, too; more like something you'd spread on bread.

Agnès, as the only available other person to try it on, did not like it at all. She didn't say "downright repulsive", but the thought was there. After some thought, I quite liked it; it was a very satisfying taste. I don't know that I'd eat it in the same quantities that I do plain oatmeal porridge, but I'll make it again - at the very least, so that I can try it on some other people.

LATER ADDITION, October 10 2023: I made a slightly less fermented version (5 days, not 6) and tried it on people at a Dun in Mara Arts & Sciences. Surprisingly, everyone who tried it liked it. A few people reported an initial reaction of "what did I just put in my mouth?" followed by "actually this is good". I'll be experimenting with longer ferments to see how they go.

Standard Oatmeal Porridge

Back to The Irish Porridge Project