Baseball franchises being turned into comics collectibles

From this Major League Baseball announcement, it sounds more like Zero-Zero Entertainment, the publisher of these comics, is interested in catering to the speculator market as much as the mainstream industry itself:

Calling all comic lovers and baseball fanatics: All Baseball Comics is debuting a collection of three officially licensed books to expand your collection.

Centered on the thesis that baseball is “the story of America,” the trio of issues features one spotlight on each of the Yankees, Dodgers and Cubs. They are available for preorder now on baseballcomics.com. Issues are listed at $19.99 apiece for standard printed versions, while a signed variant cover is also available for $49.99.

The history of these teams may be well worth telling, but marketing the comics as collectibles instead of history stories is the grave error made here. And seriously, people have to pay that much for something only 32 pages long? This is only taking advantage of customers for the sake of quick bucks, and does a disservice to the very sport they claim to be honoring.

What's more, if they can't tell a story that's the length of a paperback, which could be 50 or 100 pages, then they've proven they lack the talent and dedication needed to honor the sport of baseball. I'm sorry, but this is nothing more than a foul ball rife with cheating customers. 3 strikes and you're out. Once again, the medium's being exploited for profit instead of talent and dedication, and this only proves the point all the more why comics have to stop relying on the pamphlet model.

Marvel crosses its universe with Star Wars, in a special written by filmmaker Kevin Smith

Entertainment Weekly says Marvel's continuing with their pointless distractions, producing a crossover of franchises:

Titled Star Wars/Marvel: Hope Assembles, the five-part limited comic book series will launch in January 2027, Entertainment Weekly can exclusively reveal.

Figures like Chewbacca, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia will join Earth-616 — the primary continuity in which most stories of Marvel Comics take place —and mingle with the likes of Captain America, Black Widow, Spider-Man, and the Hulk. Meanwhile, Doctor Doom and the Marvel rogue’s gallery will join the likes of Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire.

But here's the bad part:

Kevin Smith, the actor/director who wrote major runs of Daredevil, Batman, and Green Arrow, writes the new story. David Marquez of Uncanny X-Men and Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man is the artist behind the comic, as seen in EW’s exclusive first look at the cover design.

Wow, what do we need such an overrated filmmaker writing this for? Even if this time, he doesn't suddenly, out of nowhere, take time off from completing the miniseries as he did with the horrible Black Cat miniseries he wrote in the early 2000s, Smith's resume is still just too insufferable to care about 2 ruined franchises crossing over. Another problem is that this perpetuates a serious mistake of the past 3 decades: hiring "celebrity" writers like filmmakers and novelists to script a comic book, yet not basing the employment on merit any more than talent and comprehension of the creations the writers are assigned to script.

Let's also not forget Smith once turned out a woke continuation of the Masters of the Universe cartoon, broadcast on Netflix, no less. That's all you need to know he could always render the Marvel/Star Wars crossover in similar ways. So again, what's the use of even advertising what's bound to be a time-waster?

Spider-Man being exploited for tennis-based collectible covers

US Open's announcing that Marvel's made another deal with the tennis movement for another sports-based story involving one of Marvel's most famous characters, and the special they're producing appears to be another publicity stunt for collectibility's sake, even if it's allegedly for free:

The US Open and Marvel are continuing their groundbreaking collaboration for a third consecutive year with a new and original Spider-Man comic book that champions the theme of the 2026 US Open, “Celebrating Our New York Story.” More than 40,000 print copies of the comic book will be given out to fans for free throughout US Open Fan Week at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, with a limited-edition run of rare, collectible covers featuring one of New York City’s five boroughs given out in a surprise bag to the first 1,000 fans each day August 24-28.

The unique comic follows Spider-Man as he chases and battles supervillain Scorpion across all five boroughs en route to the US Open, visiting iconic landmarks and encountering quintessential New York experiences along the way. All 40,000-plus print copies of the book will be given out on a first-come, first-serve basis for free during US Open Fan Week to those fans who scan their Fan Access Pass at the giveaway tent inside the main entrance.

Rare collectible covers featuring Spider-Man in one of the five boroughs – the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island – are limited to 1,000 copies each and will be given away at random in a blind bag to the first 1,000 fans on-site who pick up their comic book Monday, August 24, through Friday, August 28.

And that's all you need to know this is just another farce that doesn't even seem to have been printed in high numbers, undoubtably as an attempt to get new readers for their output with no emphasis on merit. What are the chances Mary Jane Watson won't figure prominently in this stunt either? Also note that it sounds like they're relying upon the "blind bag" tactic previously employed by Image. Regardless of whether these specials are free, what they're doing still reeks of pandering to the speculator market, and that's one more reason why this is another unappealing example of how Marvel's going about business today.

Postal video game being adapted to a comic

Go Nintendo reports one of the most violent video games ever produced is being adapted, sadly enough, to the comics panels:

Running With Scissors, creators of the (in)famous POSTAL series, in partnership with the renowned artists at Roditeli Productions, release an official digital preview for the first-ever POSTAL comic book series, giving fans a 19-page preview of the diabolical action arriving in late 2026.

With tens of millions of copies sold across the POSTAL game franchise, the greater POSTAL universe has expanded through sequels, spin-off games, a documentary film, and a movie. Now, the POSTAL Dude will make his comics debut in a series produced/co-written by Kevin Roditeli (SWAT Kats, X‑O Manowar, Bad Omens: Concrete Jungle) and co-written by Rob Cannon (Freak Snow, Anime Animay).

The POSTAL Dude makes his way through what appears to be a normal Monday until his fragile peace of mind is shattered once again – this time by an ad for a sinister dating app that sends him into a spiral of conspiracy-fueled madness.

I looked at several pages from the preview, and what a surprise, it does feature bloody acts of violence not all that different from what the game could feature. And the publishers of this tommyrot actually believe this is normal and acceptable?

On top of that, must virtually every video game of this sort be adapted to the comics medium? Of course not. Yet these wastes of trees keep getting made, regardless of how many people even buy them to begin with. I wish more people would wake up and stop plunking their money into even the video game itself, because this is getting very irritating already if and whenever anybody just buys these comics unquestioned, as though it literally must be done. Let's be clear. Nobody has to buy these kind of comic adaptations at all, and a game as jarring as Postal shouldn't have to matter to anybody.

Paul Newman's last live action movie was based on a GN

Men's Journal spoke about one of the late actor Paul Newman's last movies, Road to Perdition, based on a GN by Max Allan Collins, and also a cartoon he worked on:

Newman’s role as John Rooney marked his final live-action feature film. The Hollywood icon voiced Doc Hudson in Pixar’s animated film Cars in 2006 before passing away in 2008 at the age of 83.

Collider highlighted Newman’s work alongside the rest of the cast as a major reason the film still holds up. [...]

Decades later, Road to Perdition remains a quiet high point in several careers. For Newman, it closed out a lifetime of work with one final, memorable big screen performance.

Good for him. And that's great to know he provided voice acting for a cartoon as well. I'd seen several movies he made decades before, and Newman was a very admirable performer, a lot more talented than some of today's Hollywood actors. If only they'd learn from him.

French cartoon film adapted from Legendaires broadcast on Canal Plus

Sortir a Paris announced an animated film based on a comic called The Legends is airing on Canal Plus:

The Legends, the animated film adapted from Patrick Sobral’s comic, is airing on Canal+ on Friday, July 31, 2026 at 9:06 PM. Directed by Guillaume Ivernel, the feature marks the first time the adventures of Danaël, Jadina, Gryf, Shimy and Razzia leap from page to the big screen in the magical world of Alysia.

Released in French cinemas on January 28, 2026, the film draws on the Delcourt-published saga, a touchstone of contemporary French children's comics. Now airing on television, it invites families to experience this adventure — a blend of magic, humor, and action — designed for viewers aged 6 and up.

The Légendaires used to be the planet’s greatest protectors. But a curse left them trapped in the bodies of ten-year-olds, just like everyone on Alysia. Stripped of their adult forms, Danaël, Jadina, Gryf, Shimy and Razzia must join forces to confront the sorcerer Darkhell and free their world from this eternal childhood.

The story keeps the core ingredients that made the comic a hit: a team of heroes with very different personalities, an accessible fantasy world, spectacular battles, and humor born from tensions within the group. The characters’ transformation into children also fuels a narrative about trust, friendship, and the need to cooperate despite their disagreements.

That certainly sounds a lot more faithful to its source material than some mainstream USA comics adaptations can be. And it's hopefully a lot more respectable to what's in good taste for children than what comes out of Hollywood these days too. Maybe best of all though, is that it's not airing on a bad network like Netflix happens to be. Broadcasting it there would only be bad news. It's better than the cartoon remain on French channels like Canal.

Artist who worked on TMNT charged with assault on reporter in Maine

Maine Wire reported that one of their staff was assaulted at an anti-ICE protest by somebody who turned out to be an artist who worked on recent Ninja Turtles comics, an artist by the name of Bob Tkacik:

A Maine comic book artist is facing a criminal assault charge stemming from the alleged attack on a Maine Wire reporter covering an anti-ICE protest in Biddeford earlier this month.

Bob Tkacik, a freelance comic book artist known for his work on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, has been charged with assault in connection with the July 13 incident involving Maine Wire reporter Jon Fetherston. The case is expected to be heard in Biddeford District Court unless it is resolved beforehand through the York County District Attorney’s Office.

According to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, Fetherston was covering an anti-ICE demonstration in downtown Biddeford when he was allegedly struck with a skateboard, shoved, spat on, and repeatedly harassed while livestreaming from the scene. The attack reportedly knocked his cellphone to the ground and interrupted his live coverage. The incident has since been cataloged by the Tracker as an assault on a journalist and damage to journalistic equipment.

The alleged assault quickly drew national and international attention. The incident was covered by Fox News and Newsmax, while Britain’s Daily Express also reported on the attack during Fetherston’s live television coverage, bringing broader attention to concerns over the safety of journalists covering politically charged demonstrations.

The Maine Press Association also condemned the violence, issuing a public statement denouncing attacks on working journalists and reaffirming that reporters must be able to cover news events without fear of intimidation or physical assault. The organization called violence against members of the press unacceptable and urged respect for the First Amendment and the role of journalists in a free society.

It was bad enough when a would-be historian who'd written about the Ninja Turtles committed a criminal offense several weeks ago. Now, an artist who worked on the comics themselves has also tarnished its legacy with an offense of his own. What makes this additionally disturbing is that the same victim had also been threatened by a mosque attendee in the state, and other attendees were also hostile to him. I don't know if he's a right-leaning journalist, but his chilling experiences certainly make clear something's horribly wrong over there. Including how Tkacik's given clues as to what he thinks of law enforcement. Based on which, you could wonder why he even drew Ninja Turtles to begin with.

I looked around to see if there were any past articles about Tkacik, and found this interview on Capes and Tights from 2023, where it says that:

While you have other professional work, some people know you for your ability to draw turtles. Is this something that your enjoy being connected to and what is the best part of being so connected to the turtles community?

To be perfectly honest, it is an honor to be known for this. I think the TMNT community is full of incredible storytellers, artists and enthusiasts, and I can genuinely say, for everyone I’ve met through this connection, I am immensely grateful. I’ve made a lot of very good friends through this work, and I couldn’t be happier.

Is it an honor for him to now be known for breaking the law, and assaulting a news reporter without provocation? The interview says Tkacik published an indie comic of his own, and it'd be strongly advised not to buy it now after what he did, delivering the industry another embarrassing moment. We must hope this terrible incident brings his career to an end, and that the Ninja Turtles franchise holders will no longer allow his employment after what he did. This is exactly why more serious demands must be made by businesses in comicdom for creators to uphold the law, and avoid politicized issues like these. Comic book publishing cannot afford this kind of negative publicity anymore. Would this have occurred if Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman were still in charge of their creations? I don't know, but perhaps this sad case could suggest why some franchise creators just shouldn't sell off the rights to their products.

Where the mid-90s adaptation of Tank Girl stands today

A writer at Men's Journal talks about the 1995 film adaptation of the British comic called Tank Girl, which was not a success, but is apparently the kind of movie that's since found a "cult following", as could probably be expected of some films of the times:

Arriving decades before the box office successes of Wonder Woman (2017) and Captain Marvel (2019), Tank Girl (1995) was a pioneer of the female-led comic book film, or pushed back their popularity for another 20 years — depending on who you asked.

There's just one thing not brought up - despite the huge box office gross 7 years ago, the Capt. Marvel movie is not considered an artistic success, and the sequel certainly buried any further chances for additional sequels for now.

Tank Girl was based on the British comic book series and strips of the same name by artists Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett — the latter of whom would go on to further global prominence as the visual co-creator of the virtual band Gorillaz — first published in 1988. Set in a post-apocalyptic Australia, the series is led by the titular character (real name Rebecca Buck), who, along with mutant Kangaroo boyfriend Booga, navigates the lawless outback in a series of misadventures in an abandoned military tank.

[...] With predominantly non-Australian accents and actors, alongside the rejection of the dry British humor of the comic and its overt violence and sexuality, the Tank Girl film was a far cry from what the fans of the comic book expected. With abysmal critical reviews and a revenue of $6 million against a $25 million budget, the movie venture was largely considered a total failure, particularly by Hewlett and Martin.

Hewlett, who was just 22 years old when MGM studios first approached him about a film adaptation, reflected in 2006: “The script was lousy – me and Alan Martin kept rewriting it and putting Grange Hill jokes and Benny Hill jokes in, and they obviously weren’t getting it. They forgot to film about ten major scenes so we had to animate them … it was a horrible experience.

In a 2017 interview with Vice, Hewlett elaborated, “They played that game of looking for things that are cool, buying those things and then turning them into something else.”

“Which is what Hollywood does. If they were to stick to the actual storyline of the original idea of Tank Girl, then you’d probably have an X-rated movie on your hands, and what they want is a family movie they can open and have a big box office weekend with,” he continued. “They take out all the essence – all the good ingredients – and then turn it into something else.”

There have been R-rated adaptations of several comics over the years, and IIRC, the 1998 Blade movie may have been a rare example to date for a Marvel adaptation. So, while the statements given by the comic's creators may be a bit naive, the fact is that given the chance, Hollywood will dumb down these adaptations considerably, or just plain make a shoddy film. It reminds me that a few years before the Tank Girl film was produced, there was an adaptation of Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski novels starring Kathleen Turner that was similarly catastrophous, and stuff like that makes me wonder if some Hollywood studios have so much money, they're not against injuring the popularity of the source material with an awful film. Undoubtably, there are plenty of abortive adaptations whose producing studios have only so much contempt for the zygotes and creators, they're willing to damage the original product's potential. With some early female-led adaptations being the biggest victims of a Hollywood studio's refusal to comprehend what made the source material work in the first place. Just this year of course, we saw how well the new Supergirl adaptation worked out. And that was based on a story written by a very bad writer, by contrast.

It would be far better if some creators would prove they can resist the temptation to have a film adapted to live action, and depending on the situation, even to animation. After all, there's still plenty of examples today where a notable creation can be watered down very badly in Hollywood, and it's gotten considerably worse in an era where stuff like that is described as "woke". So maybe the time's come for comics creators to start reevaluating whether it's even a good idea to begin with, to have their properties adapted to the silver screen. If there's a chance a bad adaptation could send the comic into obscurity, that's why it's just not worth it to approve an adaptation. That said, it's interesting how it's become another film to find a cult following in the 30 years since it was made.

A new franchise titled "New-Gen"

Variety announced there's a new comic being turned into a multimedia franchise called "New-Gen", which is reportedly distributed by Marvel:

New-Gen Universe, Inc. is launching its first consumer products initiative at San Diego Comic-Con, debuting an exclusive collector’s trading card set made with Cryptozoic Entertainment to celebrate its Marvel-distributed comic series.

Just 300 convention exclusive boxes exist worldwide for the July 23–26 event, making this among the rarest “New-Gen” collectibles released to date. Designed solely for the convention, the set also builds momentum for the upcoming 3D CGI animated series “New-Gen Nanobot Heroes.”

In the comic, twin brothers Sean and Chris learn their bodies have been enhanced by nanotechnology, thrusting them into a fight against the villain Deadalus within a futuristic world where nature and technology exist side by side.

“New-Gen” was created by J.D. Matonti, Julia Coppola and Chris Matonti and has grown from its Marvel-distributed comic book origins into a transmedia franchise spanning publishing, animation and consumer products. The Comic-Con cards give fans a tangible link between the source comics and the animated series still to come.

While I think it's great somebody wants to create their own franchise, and turn it into animation to boot, why must they rely on a publisher as unreliable as Marvel's become for distribution? They're being very foolish there. I wish the creators good luck in selling New-Gen, but would appreciate it much more if they found a different distributor instead. And perhaps if they focused foremost on the comics writing/illustrating, and not get carried away by turning everything into a whole franchise relying on toy merchandise, because that hasn't done many favors for comicdom in the end.

An Indian comic building on imagery from a film

The Times of India announced the production of a concept art comic based on a film titled Ramayana:

Team 'Ramayana' has fans counting down the days to their big trailer launch this week. While kicking off the countdown to July 24 when the official trailer will debut online, fans have been busy turning the film's concept art into impressive first looks.

Following the grand event in New Delhi on Saturday, the makers unveiled a special comic book that offers an in-depth look at the mythology-inspired world of the film. The illustrated book showcases detailed concept art for key characters, kingdoms and locations, giving fans a closer look at the ambitious adaptation. Soon after images from the comic surfaced online, social media users began transforming the illustrations into real-life depictions using AI image-generation tools. [...]

The comic, unveiled during the film's promotional event also offers readers a detailed introduction to the kingdoms of Ayodhya, Mithila and Lanka, while also revealing character illustrations accompanied by brief biographies and mythological backgrounds.

If you think there's a good side to AI, then moviegoers having fun producing AI-generated imagery based on the comic panels that could resemble real life is indeed a better example of how to make use of the concept that's been gaining traction in the past 5 years or so. And a comic emphasizing concept art for the movie is certainly a great idea too.

A convention built on GI Joe in Augusta, Georgia

Fox54-WFXG gives a report about a comics convention in Augusta, Georgia built primarily on GI Joe fandom:

One of the biggest comic book conventions in the country came to Augusta this past weekend.

Joefest came back to Augusta for the ninth consecutive year. The convention is one of the biggest G.I. Joe conventions in the world and included a number of collector’s items, celebrity voice actors and comic book artists.

“This is my second year here, and we're having a blast with it,” vendor Jeff Mercado said. “I’m a big G.I. Joe fan anyway, so it made it easy to come. I have my own collection, so finding rare pieces that I want for my own collection, selling off some of my older stuff that I had from when I was a child, and then, I started getting into a lot of the other things. I try to just hit all the markets, you know, what everybody's into collecting, so I have a wide variety of stuff that we like to sell.”

Having a convention built on the Joes is great. But the trouble is, this is the kind of convention where collectibles are sold at huge prices:

The event included over 200 vendors serving over 15,000 people over three days. Vendor Jeff Mercado says that the collector’s items at the convention are worth thousands of dollars.

“I mean, we've got stuff here that's five bucks, 10 bucks, all the way up to a couple $1000 for a piece,” Mercado said. “I got some airplanes that go for 2,000 bucks. We got some tanks in here that range in the 100s, 200s. We cover a broad spectrum. There's all different kinds of collectors, so we try to have everything for every price point.”

Oh good grief. This sounds like another convention focused on selling to speculators, and that could even include those who buy toys for archiving in the vault. Indeed, what's the use of having old toys around if they're not going to be donated to museums anny more than old pamphlets are?

I think it's wonderful to establish a convention built around GI Joe as much as various other entertainment franchises. But that doesn't mean the speculator market should be mixed in with it, based on how high some of this stuff can sell, yet it's entirely possible it won't be played with or read, and end up locked in vaults till sold again at auctions. Indeed, toys can wind up being sold on auctions as much as Superman's most expensive back issues. And that makes the whole purpose of the toy industry look like a joke too.

John Byrne pens yet another Phoenix-related story

Popverse tells the veteran artist Byrne has put together yet another story building off the Phoenix saga from X-Men, a story that was regurgitated far too many times:

It is a story that has been in the making for over 40 years. After very publicly walking away from Marvel Comics 25 years ago, John Byrne is returning to publish his own version of what happened after his iconic Dark Phoenix Saga. In his version, Jean Grey doesn’t die, and X-Men history takes a very different turn.

X-Men Elsewhen started as a webcomic that John Byrne published on his website starting in 2018, but it is set to get a physical release later this month. That release is remarkable not just because it is John Byrne returning to one of the most iconic storylines in comic book history, but also because Marvel Comics is putting its official stamp on it. They are involved as licensors while Abrams ComicArts is publishing.

The problem is that it's also one of the most way overused story premises and plotlines in publishing history, and I think Claremont himself once recycled elements from it in a Justice League tale he wrote in the 2000s for DC. Why is this such a big deal, and is fandom actually looking forward to this? There's only so many other story ideas from past history that would make great setups for a science-fantasy tale today, and this is what we keep hearing about? Sorry, but this is just insulting to the intellect when they keep regurgitating a storyline that wound up emphasizing mass death and destruction, and while the late editor Jim Shooter may have decided it better to have Jean put to death than be let off the hook for wiping out a whole alien space colony (Jean's fate was retconned 5 years later with an alien lifeform becoming the actual culprit), it doesn't explain why he approved of making Jean the scapegoat who's destined to be turned evil in the first place.

If there's any storyline the medium has to stop relying upon so heavily for a setup, it's the Phoenix Saga. It did no good in the long run for comicdom, and was the kind of tale that should've been left in the past long ago. Why Byrne himself sees this as great is beyond me.

Comics and cartoon characters featured in illustrated history about the Declaration of Independence

The Orange County Register interviewed cartoonist R. Sikoryak about a new GN titled Declaration/Emancipation Illustrated, which builds specially on use of comics and cartoon characters for exploration of the famous moment in USA history when independence was set in motion in the 18th century:

As he worked on an adaptation of some of America’s essential documents over the past few years, cartoonist R. Sikoryak says one element of the ongoing American experiment became clear.

[...] His new book, “Declaration / Emancipation Illustrated,” combines the complete texts of the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Gettysburg Address and illustrates them with characters and scenes from comic books, comic strips and animated films and TV series, including The Simpsons, My Little Pony, Black Panther, Ziggy, the Powerpuff Girls and more.

“People identify with cartoon characters,” says Sikoryak, who skillfully takes on the styles of everything from The Family Circus to Family Guy. “I like that interplay of familiar characters with important texts.”

And sharp-eyed readers will recognize reworkings of iconic comic book panels, including “The New Teen Titans,” “The Invaders” and “The Savage Sword of Conan.”

“I was strictly using American characters, U.S. characters,” he says about some of the restrictions he gave himself for the artwork. “They’re all characters created by, or who represent America in some way. So that was the rule for the book.”

I would assume it's done under licensed permit, but this is a creative way to make use of other known creations for producing a GN about American history, and a lot more than what you see in the actual mainstream today.

Q. Your book is an illustrated version of the Declaration of Independence, Emancipation Proclamation, and Gettysburg Address. How do you describe this kind of hybrid?

I grew up making comics and reading lots of comics, and I’ve tried to find ways to take my skills and use them in an interesting way. I used to do strictly literary adaptations, where I would take novels, and I would retell them as comics in different styles, kind of like what I’m doing now,

You could call it a graphic novel, you could call it an illustrated book, but basically, I just like taking the history I love from comics and combining it with texts that I think are important or interesting for people to reevaluate in new ways.

It's certainly pleasant news in an era where patriotic values have been largely rejected by mainstream leftists who don't show any appreciation for themes like "truth, justice and the American way" in Superman, for example, and likely don't celebrate American patriotism in Captain America either.

Q. There can be a friction between people who believe that if you love something, you can also have fun with it, versus those who don’t. Is that challenging to navigate?

I have a certain earnest streak to me, and I think that comes through in the work. Certainly, I will throw in some jokes here and there, but for the most part — there’s some editorializing, I suppose, in some of the image choices — but I am really keeping the text there. I’m not commenting in the text. If you just read the text, there’s nothing in the book that isn’t in the original document.

I’m really trying to be faithful to all my sources, whether it’s what Thomas Jefferson wrote or if it’s what Seth MacFarlane drew for “Family Guy,” I’m trying to represent the perspective of both sides — or the many sides.

One of the reasons I wanted to use the different styles is because you can find a page that feels very patriotic, and it feels kind of solemn, and then there’ll be another page that’s maybe a little absurd, or a little funny, or a little ironic, but that’s the tapestry of America. I really wanted people to feel like something in this would represent them.

In the best sense of what I think the country is, it’s all these people coming together — I know some people don’t think that’s what it is — but in my estimation, it’s really about all these people coming together, that’s kind of what the book represents. You could find specific pages that are nothing but solemn, but there is a certain, I hope, thrill, or as you say, friction, in the combination of all these things next to each other.

The question is whether he ultimately respects what the Declaration of Independence was for, which is why we need to hope the part about "reevaluation" only means whether most believe it's acceptable to employ notable creations from past franchises for a new GN about an historical milestone. Same can be said about the view of "both sides" too.

If the finished product respects patriotic and civilized values, that's what'll make this an admirable project. So if Sikoryak is faithful to those beliefs, then he'll have produced something that can be a breath of fresh air in an era where patriotism's sadly been diminished by leftist ideologies, and this needs to be challenged by showing the courage to present patriotism as a positive value again.

Sugarcoated interview with an IDW editor who's an SJW, and has quite a double standard

Brands Untapped interviewed Heather Antos, a SJW who worked at Marvel as an editor in the past decade and was instrumental in damaging their output the woke way, and now is working at IDW, where she serves as editor on some very eyebrow raising imprints:

Heather Antos, you’ve described yourself as “taller in person, a destroyer of childhoods and a professional geek.” How tall are you?

Ha! I’m 5’10”, which is short in my family.

Is it? Gosh! And ‘destroyer of childhoods we’ll find out more about… Professional geek – lets get into that. What’s your actual job title?

I’m the Senior Group Editor at IDW Publishing. I oversee our crime imprint – which is pretty self-explanatory – and all things IDW Dark; our horror imprint.

Great remit! What kind of things does IDW Dark involve?

That involves our licensed partnerships with Paramount – Event Horizon, Twilight Zone, A Quiet Place, Smile, Sleepy Hollow. It also involves some of our historic, original creator-owned horror titles: 30 Days of Night, Locke & Key, Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, The Exorcism at 1600 Penn. Over its 26 years, IDW has really made a name for itself as being a home of horror in the comic space.

Very interesting. She had a sex-negative viewpoint when she worked at Marvel - with the biggest irony being her claim of alleged admiration for Flo Steinberg, who served as one of the editors on the Marvel Swimsuit specials - yet years later at IDW, all of a sudden, Antos is quite comfortable working on stories involving violent content, horror and darkness? That she'd boast about being a "destroyer of childhoods" is certainly sad as it's insulting, because that's what she was doing at Marvel, if anywhere, and perhaps also at neo-Valiant.

Hell in space… Tell me if I’m wrong here: my memory is that they filmed a lot more foootage for the Event Horizon movie that got cut because it was too horrific. Are you, in a comic, better positioned to explore the extreme edges of that?

Yes and no. I mean, ratings still exist – so what we’re allowed to show in a comic book still matters. We can’t go too extreme or else the comic itself would need to be polybagged to stop a kid picking it up and chancing across it. So ratings still matter. Also, for licenses like Event Horizon, A Quiet Place, Smile and so on, I’m very aware that those are Paramount franchises. So what we did has to match that brand…

So to your earlier point, about stuff filmed for Event Horizon that you can’t watch today, we can’t exceed that level in the comics That’s the brand! Another example is A Quiet Place… Those films are rated PG-13, so the comics themselves need to match that in terms of language, gore, the types of scares we’re allowed to do and so on. Meanwhile, Smile is rated R – so we can go a little further.

Again, this is quite telling when somebody who had a sex-negative viewpoint at one publisher is perfectly fine working with R-rated mayhem at another. Interesting how she actually brings up concern for what children might stumble over if they picked up a comic with mature themes, which, despite the perception comics aren't read by children today, could happen. But her double-standard on sex as opposed to violence ruins whatever points she's trying to make.

I’m loving this! You were at Marvel before IDW, were you not? What were you working on there?

When the Star Wars line launched in 2015, I helped do that with Jason Aaron, John Cassaday, Kieron Gillen, Salvador Larroca, Mark Waid, Terry Dodson… That was the big, big, BIG launch; around the time that Force Awakens was coming out. I also worked on the Deadpool line around the time that movie was came out. And I co-created the character Gweenpool for Marvel while I was there as well.

And Aaron was one of the biggest SJWs they hired at the time. One could say Gillen was too, considering he wrote the storyline where Tony Stark's background was retconned so he was an adopted orphan instead of having biological parents. And seriously, Antos co-created Gwenpool? Well I'm not impressed with that either. And did she ever apologize to Jae Lee for accusing him of being a Comicsgate supporter? If she ever did, I have yet to find out. Antos later says:

So you can imagine when I learned about comics in my university years, it was just such a cool thing! To know that a group of people got to collaborate together on these projects – and that it wasn’t just superhero stuff! Because, obviously, I grew up with the same superhero TV shows and movies and all the stuff that everyone else did. But when I was in college, I took an American literature course and studied a lot of the classic Vertigo stuff.

Such as?

Oh, I was introduced to The Sandman and Transmetropolitan and Hellblazer and a lot of that material. And I was surprised to find that comics can be horror, they can be crime. They can be so many things away from what most people might assume comics are. [...]

Wonder what she thinks now that the author of the former title was accused of sexual abuse? Or that the author of Transmetropolitan was accused of taking advantage of a number of women by making empty promises he'd help them get jobs in the industry? That she sounds like she's still okay with reading those items can be telling too of where she really stands. Near the end of the interview:

Amazing. I have one last question to wrap things up, Heather… Are there any dream licenses that you’d love to work on?

Oh, there are a couple I’ll happily talk about because I’ve been very vocal about them online! First, I absolutely love Indiana Jones – it’s one of my first loves. Obviously, it’s with Disney, which is in the Marvel wheelhouse so if anything was ever going to happen with Indy, that would be where it would happen. Then, my other love – again, I’m so loud about this online – is James Bond… I absolutely love James Bond, and I don’t think the franchise has had the comic run it deserves.

If she had her way, it definitely wouldn't. As for Indy, wonder what she thinks of how the series was screwed up and totally buried by political correctness? Probably nothing much, alas.

It's interesting to note that a few years ago, according to That Park Place, Antos accused her previous employers at Marvel and Valiant of unfair treatment, suggesting she now holds a grudge against them for discontinuing her employment. Why she got a job with IDW next is mystifying, though her willingness to serve as editor of dark titles does speak volumes. At the same time, the site notes that, based on what they found being told in her business profile:

She has no other job experience aside from being an independent editor and story consultant, which she claims to have been doing since 2016.

So why'd IDW want to hire her? Considering they could be on their last legs now finance-wise, it hardly helps to employ somebody whose "talent" is very unclear. In the past decade, she did little more than work as a SJW, and this only suggests she hasn't changed. Anybody who's going to take the kind of double-standard she does is only making clear why they weren't suited to work in comicdom to begin with. Whatever she's overseeing at IDW doesn't sound appealing, and with her as one of the editors, that's why it's best not to buy what're bound to be overrated horror and crime tales anyway.

Live action MOTU movie continued to drop in sales

So 2 weeks into its debut, the new Masters of the Universe live action movie still plummeted in sales, as Variety reported:

“Masters of the Universe,” on the other hand, will have a harder time justifying its mega price tag. The sword-and-planet adventure dropped to No. 5 with $8.6 million from 3,677 locations. It has earned just $45.7 million in North America and $84 million worldwide and, against a nearly $200 million production budget, will leave theaters as one of the year’s biggest bombs. “Masters of the Universe” is based on the ’80s Mattel toy and cartoon, and this kind of turnout suggests the movie isn’t expanding beyond the core fanbase of older males.

Which won't include me. Why, who knows if a lot of what they perceive as a fanbase even bothered attending? Obviously, some did, but it would be silly to assume virtually all did unquestioned. This kind of popcorn fare is really no big deal, and some people who played with the toys in the 80s doubtlessly outgrew that kind of stuff long ago. If the film's story does little to prove itself worth watching no matter what age group it's supposedly aimed at, then it's not hard to guess that's another reason why even veteran toy players and cartoon watchers are uninterested.

Now, with that told, there's a certain something else I've learned about the movie from this BBC report that's decidedly troubling, and makes it additionally hard to care it's collapsed financially:

A schoolgirl said it was "great fun" to be "punched" in the stomach by Sir Idris Elba while filming for a Hollywood movie.

At 13, Delilah O'Riordan worked with Tom Hanks in Here (2024). A year later, classmates at her school in Brentwood, Essex, were shocked to see her face on the big screen yet again.

A live action remake of the 1980s cartoon, Masters of the Universe, hit UK cinemas on 5 May.

"My scene was with Idris Elba. In the scene he punched me in the stomach which was great fun. He's really lovely, and I think it was quite surreal," said O'Riordan.

"We did a few practises and he was like making jokes and things so it was really funny.

Seriously, this is sick, even if what's seen on the screen is simulated. It's not something to joke about even in cinematic terms, and that the BBC would make light of stuff like this is despicable.

And then, I also noticed this UK Guardian article written up after the box office results, where they try to make it sound like everything's hunky-dory despite the poor financial receipts:

So why then does everyone involved in this thing seem so cheerful? “Travis Knight and the entire cast and film-making team have delivered something truly special,” Amazon MGM’s Kevin Wilson gushed to Variety. “This opening is exactly the kind of critical first moment that validates our holistic distribution strategy – building awareness and engagement that will carry well beyond the theatrical window.”

Meanwhile, Knight has been talking up the possibility of sequels, after the movie appeared to introduce He-Man’s twin She-Ra in a mid-credits scene. “With every movie that I’ve ever made, I’ve always imagined where the characters go outside … the bounds of the movie,” Knight told TechRadar. “You want to tell a self-contained story, and I think we’ve done that with this movie, but there are things within the wider mythology that didn’t fit within that, and the She-Ra character was one of them.”

“Adora is also a character that carries a lot of weight with her,” he added. “A lot of people, myself included, love that character, so we wanted to give a little nod to where that could go if we were given the opportunity to tell more stories.” [...]

If weak box office no longer kills commercial movies, that may not be the worst thing ever – because Masters of the Universe actually has a bit too much going for it to be a complete dud. The existence of She-Ra really does give the project franchise potential and Knight’s film is enjoyable enough in a nostalgic sort of way. Is the idea that a modern blockbuster can survive on streaming, toys and audience goodwill alone really so terrible?

But even if all this is true, none of it magically turns a $54m opening against a $200m-plus budget into Top Gun: Maverick. A franchise still needs new fans, not just parents revisiting Eternia, and there’s little evidence just yet that Masters of the Universe has actually managed to find them.

So because they might want to spotlight She-Ra in a sequel, that justifies continuing on, despite the failure? Nope, sorry. If they have any intention of making such a sequel woke, that's why it's better, as noted before, if it all came to a halt. Mainly because all these movies based on toy merchandise have long gotten silly, and they really don't add up to escapist entertainment any more than art. I guess it's because the special effects have also long gotten tiresome, as I may have argued before, and that's why when I watch live action, I prefer dramas based on acting talent, or anything of the sort where special effects are kept to a minimum, and animation, again, makes an alternative for sci-fi with better potential. But again, Hollywood won't consider animation, and that's only bringing down variety and competition a lot more.

Masters of the Universe movie goes into box office freefall

So the latest live action adaptation of what began as a toy line that later morphed into comics and cartoons appears to be another financial dud, as Variety states:

“Scary Movie” easily secured the No. 1 spot over this weekend’s other major new release, Amazon MGM’s sword-and-planet adventure “Masters of the Universe,” which debuted at No. 2 with a soft $29.3 million in North America. The film also earned just $25 million from 86 overseas markets for a global start of $54 million. It’s an underwhelming start for a movie that cost nearly $200 million to produce, not including the marketing budget. It’ll require substantial staying power to justify its price tag, considering that theater owners get to keep roughly 50% of ticket sales.

”This is a soft opening for an action adventure with franchise and series potential,” Gross says, adding that “right now, the only fantasy heroes doing strong business are the biggest and most established superheroes, like Spider-Man, Deadpool, Wolverine, and Superman.”

“Masters of the Universe” is based on the Mattel action figure known as He-Man and marks the toy company’s second theatrical film after “Barbie.” Inaugural crowds were 66% male and nearly 40% were above the age of 45 — meaning that mostly fans of the ’80s toy and cartoon showed up. So “Masters of the Universe” will need to cater to broader audiences in the coming weeks in order to become profitable in its theatrical run.

Not so simple if it didn't make a big splash in its first week. The results so far are certainly telling.

Anyway, there are questionable elements in this new film, which is not bound to be a surprise for anybody who's paid attention to the woke trajectory Hollywood sadly took in the past decade. Let's begin with the following review - or what I can glean from something where the majority of the text is largely restricted by pay options - from the Wall Street Journal, which says:

As imagined by director Travis Knight—best known for another toys-to-screen saga, 2018’s “Transformers” sequel “Bumblebee”—and a battalion of screenwriters, the new He-Man, lost prince from the planet Eternia, is a meek cubicle dweller named Adam. He lives in Oklahoma City. He works in H.R., wears a pink shirt, and drives a yellow Subaru. The last gets better mileage than the running gag about his ordinariness, which is still being used in the closing minutes of the film. Adam, played by England’s Nicholas Galitzine (“The Sheep Detectives”) with Schwarzeneggerian bulk, never stops babbling about conflict resolution and creating space for meaningful dialogue. His office-dweeb jabber would be the most overdone gag in the movie were it not for the many references to the kinds of actions a fellow called “Fisto” might undertake.

No kidding. Well, it gets worse, as this review from Peter Travers points out:

Galitzine, a self-described “hetero” who won raves for playing a gay prince in “Red, White & Royal Blue” and a queer Duke in “Mary & George” with Julianne Moore, plays it straight here as hapless Adam, a clueless charm boy with an office nameplate that lists his preference for he/him pronouns. That one quickly went viral and not in a good way.

Gee, and it doesn't get any better with what's told in the following review from Region Free, about crude sex-related jokes involving genitals turning up, which I'm not going to highlight directly since what's described is so alarmingly vulgar. For something turned out in part by a toy company, how odd they want to inject crude lines into the mess, just because they want a PG-13 rating and believe that's the only way it'll sell. What that shows is just how lacking confidence many entertainment producers are, and it's doubtless been that way for a long time. And what makes it additionally insulting to the intellect is how, according to Screen Daily, the relationship between Adam and Teela is "chaste". How odd indeed. Yet that's been pretty much the norm for years now, to eschew romantic chemistry between the leads almost entirely, and points to either/both a lack of creative freedom for the writers/directors, or goes to show how creatively bankrupt they are at this point.

And then, from Vanyaland, we learn this film can't escape certain stereotypes that're apparently still acceptable among Hollywood leftists:

...Meanwhile, there are the scenes set on Earth, full of a simmering rage at the “feminizing” ways of corporate culture — “I have the power” reinterpreted as a seminar chant, conducted by Adam’s boss, a black woman with a shaved head and overly-cautious-yet-peppy HR demeanor — which is intended to provide a polar counter-balance to the hyper-masculine expectations of those on Eternia.

And I thought it was already bad enough the Golden Age of comics had some unfortunate stereotypes of black women with short hair, making them look far less attractive than their white counterparts. Obviously, the stereotype still exists, and, if the above description is any sign, has gotten considerably worse. What's so "feminine" about what they cite? It's nothing more than a slight to black women, and no doubt, a result of the woke notion that guys aren't allowed to admire even them. PC certainly leads to victimization.

Since we're on the subject of race-related issues, I also noticed the film's simultaneously got a case of race-swapping, with the mentor-like figure Man-At-Arms - who was white in original incarnations in toys and cartoons - changed to black with the actor Idris Elba in the role. It's rather ironic since Elba also claims to believe James Bond shouldn't be turned woke or its star have his race changed. But then, why didn't he make the same argument regarding the co-star he plays in MOTU? Is it because this is a minor character by contrast? Does that suddenly make it justified? Or was Elba too eager to receive a paycheck for a screenplay so laughable? They had a chance to introduce an original character who could fill the specific role here played by Elba, and instead, yet again, political correctness triumphed over organic writing. What a joke.

The studio's presumably planning a sequel spotlighting She-Ra, but I think it'd be better if it all stopped here, since PC is bound to influence such a project even worse than what this MOTU movie's already turning out to be. And if box office results say anything, it probably will grind to a halt anyway. Just another ridiculous merchandise-based movie starring actors and actresses I've never heard of, and the result of Hollywood's barrel scrapings in their desperation for what they can adapt to live action. Stuff like this is why it's better to stick with comics and other books instead, so long as they aren't woke.

After the overrated Barbie movie, Mattel reportedly needs a new live action "hero" in the form of Masters of the Universe

About 3 years after the woke Barbie movie that regrettably grossed a billion dollars at the box office because of cunning concealment of its political messaging, the UK Times (archive link) reports on how Mattel toy corporation is banking this time on a live action adaptation of their Masters of the Universe toy line, which saw animated cartoon adaptations in the mid-80s and early 90s. At this point, it's starting to become rather comedic how Hollywood relies on toy merchandise as a wellspring, but anyway, let's see what they say here:

The summer of 2023 marked a high point in the 81-year history of Mattel, a global toymaker based in El Segundo, near Los Angeles. The release of the Barbie movie, starring Margot Robbie, captured the global imagination, propelling Mattel and its flagship doll into the centre of the cultural zeitgeist.

For Ynon Kreiz, whose role as chief executive of Mattel was parodied by Will Ferrell in the film, it looked like a mission accomplished. After starting his role in 2018, Kreiz wanted to transform the image of his company from toy manufacturer to intellectual property (IP) powerhouse.

Now what does this mean? He's okay with making himself look bad, considering the film was a blatant attack on "sexualized capitalism", as per the ludicrous viewpoint of its director? Naturally, they won't get into details about how "imaginative" the film actually was, based on the politics it built on.

But three years on from the release of Barbie, it’s not clear that investors have recognised this shift, and now one activist investor in the Nasdaq-listed business is calling for Mattel to be taken private.

Over the past year or so, Donald Trump’s tariffs regime and other international trade concerns have knocked about a quarter off Mattel’s market value, now just over $4 billion (£3 billion). The toy market has traditionally been heavily dependent on its supply chain in China and the Far East, after all.

“We believe the market is not valuing the progress we’ve made, and more importantly the future potential of where we’re going,” said Kreiz over coffee in a London hotel.

Sounds like here, they're making a predictable swipe at Trump over his wish that businesses stop relying heavily on foreign countries to do the work, rather than USA citizens at home. Very unimpressive.

This week, he hopes the release of his second major Mattel movie — Masters of the Universe, made with Amazon MGM and filmed primarily in Sky Studios Elstree — will solidify his company’s entertainment credentials.

Masters of the Universe, starring Nicholas Galitzine, will be followed this autumn by Matchbox the Movie in October, and from there Mattel has more than a dozen other films in the works, incorporating Barney, Bob the Builder and Polly Pocket. And meanwhile, the company has invested big in making mobile games built on some of its other assets, such as Hot Wheels and Uno.

“We evolved from being a manufacturing company to an IP company — now we’re very much about brand management,” said Kreiz. “Which means it’s toys and entertainment managed together.”

Maybe that's the problem - they're making too big a deal out of adapting almost everything to film, and TV. It's honestly silly by now.

I met Kreiz the morning after the Masters of the Universe premiere in London’s Leicester Square. “People think it’s another superhero movie, but it’s so much more,” he gushed, referencing its humour and emotion.

Those that remember the original cartoon from the 1980s might raise an eyebrow at this. But those same people might equally have been sceptical about how Barbie could be turned into a Hollywood success.

The problem there is that Warner Brothers, as the studio in charge of that film, cunningly concealed how woke it sadly was. Yet according to Danusha Goska at Front Page, nobody laughed or applauded at the screening she attended. So artistically speaking, it's not like it was that kind of success, though it obviously means nothing to the profiteers who bankrolled it. Now, based on such a shoddy tale's box office grosses, they're following it up with the MOTU live action adaptation, the 2nd of its kind ever since nearly 40 years ago, another was produced in 1987, and there's something very bizarre told here:

So can He-Man, Skeletor and the other characters in the movie have the same cultural impact as Barbie? “In terms of the box office, not every movie will be the next Barbie,” said Kreiz, suggesting the answer is a firm no. “But it doesn’t need to achieve the same box office performance to have a real impact and resonance in culture.”

Nor, he added, is the box office all-important for Mattel. “We expect to see much more toy sales from this movie relative to the Barbie movie,” he said.

Why? Kreiz explained that Barbie was not “toyetic” — industry jargon meaning that it did not prompt significant new doll sales. Masters of the Universe was “not designed to sell toys” but, given the superhero nature of the film and the number of characters, it is by comparison “very toyetic”, said Kreiz.

While on-screen entertainment may play a big role in the future of Mattel, for now its major revenue source remains the physical toy market. Kreiz’s business was a victim of Trump’s tariffs regime, which disrupted and caused confusion for all US businesses that rely on international imports and exports.

Perhaps he's telling them this because he realizes lightning may not strike twice, and the live action MOTU movie may not see the same bizarre success the Barbie movie had. I'm honestly not excited to see yet another film based on toys adapted to another live action absurdity, and one must wonder why they'd want to make films that could discourage sales of their toys, which appears to be the result of the Barbie movie. Seriously, is that what they want? That their original toys crater in sales, not unlike how mainstream comicdom did in the past quarter century, no matter what the box office for the films based on them? Well that's not good. And if they're okay with discouraging toy sales, that's troubling. It's also confusing, seeing how the guy says they don't care about the box office results. Not that I consider movie adaptations such a big deal, but it's still bizarre why a movie could be produced to serve as some kind of "loss leader" for selling toys, with no clear clue as to whether the gamble will pay off. What that suggests is that the new film doesn't stand on its own in terms of entertainment value, and if not, it perpetuates a serious problem with how entertainment products are being sold, developed and marketed.

Whether the new MOTU movie sells and audiences flock to see it remains to be seen. But based on how absurd the company management at Mattel is these days, that's why it's hard to understand why we should bankroll these productions if story merit's not the name of the game here.

An anime localization that was adapted to live action winds up on TV streaming instead of theaters

If anybody's familiar with the Voltron cartoon of the early 80s, they surely know that it's actually a localization and combination of 2 anime maxi-series from 1981-82, Beast King GoLion and Armored Fleet Dairugger XV, which, much like several other anime localizations up to the turn of the century, underwent heavy censorship just because the localizers didn't have the courage to market for adults, even as I admit there's at least one violent scene in the former that was disturbingly jarring for its time.

Now, as I've been aware for a few years, a live action film adaptation of the western Voltron localization was developed, and looks like its completed, but as Decider now announces, it won't be released theatrically, and is only going to streaming, or perhaps video, as may have been the custom up to the turn of the last century:

Fans of Voltron anxiously awaiting the release of the upcoming live-action remake will not be heading to theaters to watch it.

Amazon MGM Studios’ live-action remake of the ’80s animated series will head straight to streaming on Prime Video upon its release, Collider reports. According to the outlet, the move was announced by the studio on Monday (May 11). The exact release date has yet to be announced. [...]

Voltron: Defender of the Universe, which aired from 1984 until 1985, followed “five lion robots and their pilots as they fight the evil forces of King Zarkon and Prince Lotor,” per IMDb. Among those in the voice cast were Peter Cullen, Michael Bell, Jack Angel, Neil Ross, Lennie Weinrib, and B.J. Ward.

Notice though, that they don't seem to mention the Japanese origins? What's up with that? Just because the twosome may not have been the most popular series in Japan at the time, as this website notes (and this one), they have to leave that all out? Make what you will of what they're adapting, but that's no excuse to conceal the origins of the 2 cartoons combined into one, which I think was meant to provide a sufficient amount of episodes so that networks would buy it according to expected quotas for marketing at the time, which was something like 80 parts.

But as this news suggests, the new live action movie may not be the exciting adventure they're making it out to be, otherwise it probably would've gone to theaters more easily. Or, they may have estimated the finished product will not do well enough theatrically to justify its release there. And if this news from 5 years ago said anything, the Japanese audience would possibly have passed on it, and surely wouldn't be pleased if they knew a lot of USA press sources were failing to acknowledge the country of origin both anime series came from. That's the reason this may not be the big event some were hoping it'd be.

And lest we forget, the Saint Seiya adaptation from 3 years ago was certainly a dud.

Kevin Eastman doesn't think Ninja Turtles could be produced today

Creative Bloq says Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman doesn't think it would be possible to get it created today. Some of the parts in discussion include:

Kevin says that when he meets fans at events like MCM Comic Con, he likes to ask them who their favourite Turtle is – “you can tell a lot about someone's personality,” he says.

That's part of what's made the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles such an enduring success. The tone of the franchise has varied: the family-friendly animated series feels a world away from the edgy black-and-white comics that Kevin and Peter Laird began with ("there's a lot less murder and vengeance kind of stuff”), but the core concept remains: the team.

I guess that's the rather odd thing not everyone brings up - the comics were more adult, in contrast to the animated adaptations, and perhaps the live action movies too. But even if the more recent comics from IDW follow the playbook of the original comics, that still doesn't excuse how woke the new ones are.

Another key to the Turtles' legacy is that Kevin and Peter kept creative control. They self-published the comics, and they were personally involved in the first three movies and the first 300 cartoon episodes. That was intentional after learning from the artists who came before them.

“Pete and I were specifically influenced by Jack [Kirby] and his work at Marvel. He was doing work for hire, so he didn't get to participate in creative input or profit participation. We self-published Turtles with the full knowledge of what had happened to those giants that we stood on the shoulders of”.

In that case, why did they sell off the rights years later to companies like Viacom almost 2 decades ago? Seriously, do they really, all of a sudden, no longer care about their creations and what poor changes resulted? Come to think of it, why don't they try to buy them back? Now, about what Eastman thinks of the time when they originally created the Ninja Turtles 42 years ago:

The comics industry has changed massively since Turtles Issue 1, which was placed in comic stores via small number of sub distributors on a non-returnable basis. At that time, trade magazines like the Comic Buyer's Guide were the place to get word out, but it then depended on word of mouth.

Even the first issue did better than Peter and Kevin had hoped for, with its run of 3,000 copies allowing them to return the $1,200 loan they took from Kevin's uncle and also to pay rent for a couple of months. Would they have had such an instant success today?

“I think the Turtles would not at all have had the success it had then. The landscape has changed too much. It would be a completely different set of challenges.

“We were coming off a time in 1984 where you had the mainstream comics like Marvel and DC, the emergence of new publishers like Pacific Comics and Capital Comics, and this whole other foundation that started in the late 60s of underground comics – stuff you found mostly in head shops and intended for adults. It was a perfect storm of opportunity that gave us that foot in the door to find an audience.”

Today, there are more platforms, and Kevin welcomes the likes of Kickstarter and Indiegogo to allow self publishing both digitally and physically. But there's also more competition from other mediums.

That said, Kevin's very hopeful about the industry in general. The Last Ronin tapped into a shift towards prestige comics with mature legacy stories, and it drew a new audience not only to the Turtles but other comics too.

But what about the woke ingredients in the past number of years? What about the woke change to Splinter in a more recent film? That the old/new comics are more adult themselves is no excuse. If they're going to let the conglomerates who acquired the copyrights get away with this, and make no effort to buy back their creations, they've really let down the fandom they've had. And then Eastman actually cites Kirby as an inspiration, when here, the former, along with Peter Laird, later sold off much of the franchise? I'm sorry, it's just no use. By the way, does Eastman know Capital Comics only lasted a few years, and some of the comics they initially published, like Mike Baron's Nexus and Badger, were later transferred to First Comics for continuation?

Eastman is right there's far more competition today, and no telling if Ninja Turtles would be noticed as easily by Hollywood as it was in the late 80s. But he and Laird still made a big mistake selling off their properties to conglomeracy, and if Kirby made the same mistake with any creator-owned properties he had, that wouldn't reflect well on him either. If Eastman/Laird won't address any misuse of Ninja Turtles in the years since they sold it off, what's the point of these observations? And while it's great they got as far as they did back in the day, do they realize 3000 copies is still a drop in the ocean compared to the millions of units published in other mediums? Ninja Turtles is a great creation. But let's not delude ourselves by thinking a mere few thousand copies for a debut pamphlet is something to celebrate compared to millions for other mediums' output.

New Masters of the Universe comic will "reveal" origins of Skeletor

A writer at Slash Film talks about a new comic adapted from the old Masters of the Universe toy line and cartoon TV show of the 1980s, which is coming as a new live action movie appears to be in production:

"He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" has enjoyed a small renaissance over the past decade. ND Stevenson's animated series "She-Ra and the Princesses of Power" rebooted the female-driven "He-Man" spin-off, before Kevin Smith led a darker continuation of the original 1980s filmation cartoon: "Masters of the Universe: Revelation." (Both series streamed on Netflix.) The trend will culminate this June with a new "Masters of the Universe" live-action film, directed by Travis Knight ("Bumblebee") and starring Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man leading a cast unafraid of the franchise's "meme" status.

Mattel is betting on this movie bringing new attention to "He-Man." A new "Masters of the Universe" action figure line is underway, for one. /Film can also confirm that the company is collaborating with comic publisher Dark Horse for 12-issue comic series exploring the backstories of Eternia and its people: "Masters of the Universe: Genesis," beginning this August.

Since they mention Netflix, that's just the problem with these 2 prior items. They were woke from the start, and served as an example of what's gone wrong with all this "renaissance" of the past decade: there's no new IPs being developed, if at all. Instead, they go miles out of their way to turn older products inside out for the sake of leftist agendas. Did I mention the artwork in the She-Ra "remake" was stunningly awful? All because of apparent sex-negative hysteria, even as it served as a lesbian agenda. And this story appears to be taking the job of spotlighting the leading villain:

In past tellings, Skeletor was once a man named Keldor, the half-brother of Eternia's king (and He-Man's father) Randor. It remains to be seen how "Genesis" will iterate on this.

Why must we care? They haven't even actually told what the story's about, but if it turns out this is both as woke as the aforementioned modern cartoons, and even goes so far as to celebrate villainy, that's troubling. Indeed, why are we being asked to be excited about scripting origins for a criminal instead of a hero? Or even some civilian co-stars? That they chose a villain for the spotlight ought to be a red flag at this point. And lest we forget, "reveal" is not the best word to describe where they're going with a non-existent character regardless.

The 1980s produced some of the most memorable bad guys ever in American cartoons. There were the super-villain terrorists of Cobra and their Commander (Christopher Collins) in "G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero," as well as Megatron (Frank Welker) and his Decepticons — from the treacherous Starscream (Collins again) to the oh-so-cool Soundwave (Welker again) — in "Transformers." But of those, Skeletor (originally voiced by Alan Oppenheimer) is the most iconic, thanks to a name and design that just ooze evil camp. I'm a "He-Man" novice, but I'd recognize Skeletor anywhere.

And this sounds like more excuses to boost villainy, rather than heroes. If they really want to prove themselves capable of challenging scriptwriting, they'd develop origins for any heroic characters who may not have seen the emphasis, ditto the civilian co-stars. Similarly, the columnists writing these puff pieces would talk about how admirable the efforts were to characterize the heroes. I miss that part in the puff piece. And if that's how it's going to be, it's decidedly why it would be better to avoid the Dark Horse series and just let the whole thing sink back into the past again. That told, what's so special about kiddie cartoons, as opposed to something more sophisticated, I'll never know.