Tomorrow - Revolution

The PSYCH Playlist, #10: "Revolution" by TOMORROW

Tomorrow - My White Bicycle

The PSYCH Playlist, #9: "My White Bicycle" by TOMORROW

The House of the Devil (2009) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers

THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL screened on Joe Bob Brigg's LAST DRIVE-IN

MOVIE SHOW Season Two (Shudder streaming service).

 This is a slow burn, building suspense and 

tension with only a few shocks until the final act when it gets super-intense.

Well done, with a good script. From director Ti West, a local Southeastern

PA filmmaker/screenwriter. FOUR STARS.

Carry-On | Official Trailer | Netflix

CARRY-ON original film on Netflix: I had no expectations going into this

other than to assume this would be an action-oriented Christmas movie

in the tradition of DIE HARD. That is it, but significantly different and

better in my opinion. Don't pass this one up. FOUR STARS.

Sneak Peek: OUT OF ALCATRAZ, Coming In March 2025

from the official ONI PRESS release . . . . .

OUT OF ALCATRAZ #1 Reveals a Murderers’ Row of Cover Artists for Eisner Award Nominees Christopher Cantwell & Tyler Crook’s Dark American Odyssey – Coming in March 2025 from Oni Press  The MUST-READ New Series of 2025 Debuts Covers from Valeria Burzo, Massimo Carnevale, Tyler Crook, Oliver Dominguez, and Hayden Sherman! VARIANT COVER (1:50) BY HAYDEN SHERMAN PORTLAND, OR (December 16, 2024)– THEIR COVER IS BLOWN!  Oni Press – the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning publisher of groundbreaking comics and graphic novels since 1997– is proud to unveil a fleet of arresting covers for OUT OF ALCATRAZ #1, the must-read new series coming in March 2025! A relentlessly paced and visually breathtaking original limited series with a double-sized, 48-page debut from Eisner Award-nominated writer Christopher Cantwell (Plastic Man No More, Briar) and Russ Manning Award-winning and Eisner Award-nominated illustrator Tyler Crook (Harrow County, The Lonesome Hunters), OUT OF ALCATRAZ #1 will see Crook joined by a selection of riveting covers from Valeria Burzo (Castle Full of Blackbirds), Massimo Carnevale (Y: The Last Man, Conan), Tyler Crook, Oliver Dominguez (Ellen Takes Flight, Nacho’s Nachos), and Hayden Sherman (Absolute Wonder Woman, Dark Spaces: Wildfire)! COVER A BY TYLER CROOK COVER B BY OLIVER DOMINGUEZ COVER C (RETURNABLE) BY VALERIA BURZO SKETCHBOOK VARIANT (1:10) BY TYLER CROOK VARIANT COVER (1:20) MASSIMO CARNEVALE VARIANT COVER (1:50) BY HAYDEN SHERMAN “I’ve long been obsessed with the details, loose ends, and personalities involved in the 1962 escape from Alcatraz—the government’s response and need for a narrative, the disappearance of the three men who made it off the island, and the vivid nature of the country’s cultural climate at the time, which was poised to explode into the radicalism of the mid and late 60’s," said series writer Christopher Cantwell. “But OUT OF ALCATRAZ specifically takes the mystery further. If those men did escape… then what? What would they—or any of us—do if we had suddenly achieved a tentative and highly fragile, fleeting freedom? Would that freedom even exist given how many caveats and fears would be attached to it? The more I thought about that central tenet, the more I realized that same question of freedom could be applied to any one of our ordinary lives. What are we encumbered with on a day to day basis, what do we feel trapped by, and how do any of us truly break free?” "Designing the cover for a first issue is always a huge challenge," said series artist Tyler Crook. “It needs to communicate a lot about the story, and it needs to do it almost instantaneously. Early in the development of the series, I had the idea that each of the covers should be made to look like a 1960s movie poster. I’ve always found that era of poster design to be particularly compelling and I felt it would be perfect for Out of Alcaraz. And hopefully potential readers will see that and know right away what this story is about and get the sense that it’s going to be a wild ride." “OUT OF ALCATRAZ is one of the most beautifully written and illustrated books I've read, with Chris and Tyler building immense depth and relatability for this time, place, and their characters,” said Senior Editor Bess Pallares. “Many of my favorite artists have contributed covers to the series, crafting a diverse but distinctly connected vision of this story, and drawing from the design, genre, and literary inspirations of the midcentury era. Working again with Hayden and for the first time with Valeria Burzo and the inimitable Massimo Carnevale has been a delight—and I'm especially excited that Oliver Dominguez will make his comics debut providing lush gouache painted covers for all five issues. Every cover on OUT OF ALCATRAZ is a piece of art worth owning." Convicts Frank Morris and Clarence Anglin have washed ashore in San Francisco after surviving their infamous escape from Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in June 1962. They soon meet their gruff and disappointed handler, a mysterious young woman who’s also running from something, and hope to quickly get their way north to the border – if they can even make it out of Modesto alive. As a dogged federal manhunt and chance encounters threaten the desperate convicts, everyone involved is about to discover the same bloodstained truth: life on the run is an even more hellish prison than Alcatraz could have ever been.  Pairing Christopher Cantwell – creator of critically heralded TV milestone Halt and Catch Fire and co-showrunner of The Terror’s upcoming return on AMC – and Tyler Crook – the master illustrator behind series like Harrow County with Cullen Bunn, The Unbelievable Unteens with Jeff Lemire, and his own series Lonesome Hunters – together for the first time, OUT OF ALCATRAZ #1 begins a harrowing epic of killers and convicts every bit as cold as Alcatraz Island itself, as told across five lavishly painted issues from two Eisner-nominated storytellers at the peak of their powers.  Born from one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the 20th century, this taut, five-issue American odyssey follows history’s most notorious fugitives as they desperately race for freedom through the California countryside … leaving a trail of wreckage, bodies, and painful revelations in their wake. Their escape begins…only in OUT OF ALCATRAZ #1, coming in March 2025 from Oni Press! INTERIOR ART BY TYLER CROOK INTERIOR ART BY TYLER CROOK INTERIOR ART BY TYLER CROOK INTERIOR ART BY TYLER CROOK Escape was only the beginning. . . Find your way to freedom when OUT OF ALCATRAZ #1 arrives in comic shops everywhere this March!

industry Vet To Publish Guides To Creating/Publishing Comics

EDITOR'S NOTE: I'm sharing this email message from veteran comics publisher and writer Josh Blaylock (Devil's Due imprint) just in case there are some aspiring newbies who want to create comics. Click the link at the bottom of the article if you want to be notified when this becomes available.  Launching as soon as tomorrow!  The Perfect holiday gift for an aspiring comic pro!  A brand new book for anyone serious about working in the comic book industry, and a classic that hundreds of published creators already swear by. Aspiring to make comics but unsure where to start?  My new book, Breaking Into Comics: No More Rules is intended to guide you through the real challenges and opportunities in today’s disrupted comic book industry. A much different industry than just five years ago. In these books you'll find my time as a creator, author, and publisher with over 25 years of expertise distilled down into the pages of these titles.   These aren't books about drawing; they're about strategies, psychology, and practical steps to build your comic career. What You’ll Find Inside: The truth about "breaking in" Why to consider self-publishing  (or avoid it) Growing passive income in comics  Real-life scenarios and solutions for comic pros and beginners alike Plus, exclusive access to workshops, one-on-one consultations, and creative strategy sessions! Click here to count yourself in!  I know this one is way more niche than supporting a regular comic, but for the people looking to make their own, this can be an invaluable resource. Let's make comics!  Josh Blaylock

Bubble Puppy - Lonely (US 1969)

The PSYCH Playlist, #8: "Lonely" by THE BUBBLE PUPPY

Bubble Puppy-Hot Smoke and Sassafras (lyrics video)

The PSYCH Playlist, #7: "Hot Smoke And Sasafrass" by BUBBLE PUPPY

Help, I'm a Rock

The PSYCH Playlist, #6: "Help I'm A Rock" by WEST COAST POP

ART EXPERIMENTAL BAND

West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band - 1906 - 1967

The PSYCH Playlist, #5: "1906" by WEST COAST POP ART 

EXPERIMENTAL BAND

Book Review: ASSASSINS ANONYMOUS by Rob Hart

ASSASSINS ANONYMOUS by Rob Hart (G. P. Putnam’s Sons, June 11, 2024) Hardcover, 308 pages 

Synopsis on the Goodreads website . . . . .

In this clever, surprising, page-turner, the world’s most lethal assassin gives up the violent life only to find himself under siege by mysterious assailants. It’s a kill-or-be-killed situation, but the first option is off the table. What’s a reformed hit man to do?

Mark was the most dangerous killer-for-hire in the world. But after learning the hard way that his life’s work made him more monster than man, he left all of that behind, and joined a twelve-step group for reformed killers. 

When Mark is viciously attacked by an unknown assailant, he is forced on the run. From New York to Singapore to London, he chases after clues while dodging attacks and trying to solve the puzzle of who’s after him. All without killing anyone. Or getting killed himself. For an assassin, Mark learns, nonviolence is a real hassle.

My Four-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . 

     Writer Rob Hart takes the concepts of Alcoholics Anonymous and incorporates their twelve-step program of rehabilitation into a support group to reorient hitmen and hitwomen. The fast-moving, page-turning, first person narration is chock full of personal insights and anecdotes. ASSASSINS ANONYMOUS is a clever, twisty take on the assassination business with humor, character revelations, and plenty of action.

     Mark (a.k.a. The Pale Horse) is a hitman with regrets, with a strong desire to get out of the business and also fearful that he's in too deep or he may be prevented from doing so. He finds a support group run by a former hitman that he's familiar with through a shared assignment. Throughout the novel he attempts to navigate his new course while the agencies he's worked for as well as enemies do their best to dissuade him and get him to break his personal vow to no longer kill people. He's an extremely sympathetic character and is an example of the human side of what many presume to be a necessarily unemotional uncaring business. 

     A great read, very entertaining and thoughtful. I'll definitely seek out more work by Rob Hart.

Captain America: Brave New World | Special Look

MY WEEK IN COMICS, #50: December 15, 2024

For the last three years I have embarked on a Comics Odyssey, reading and writing reviews of comics towards an ambitious goal which I only attained on one of three attempts.  This year, I still want to read more comics and write reviews, but I’m not setting a specific goal.  I’ll just document them and number them. We’ll see how far I can go . . . . . . . 

#778 - #782  GODZILLA: OBLIVION trade paperback by Joshua Fialkov and Brian Churilla (IDW Publishing, October 2016) Reprints Issues #1- #5.  Every once in a while I get the urge to read a comic with giant monsters/kaiju. Every once in a while I want to read a comic for pure entertainment value, that I can enjoy in the moment and then forget about it. Godzilla comics usually satisfy those urges, and this one is just a cut above when it comes to quality and story-telling.

     I love Churilla’s art when he can depict giant monsters in bigger panels, where he seems to excel. When he’s drawing scenes with the scientists in discussion or peril, or facial close-ups, it’s a bit weak.

    Sure that there are parallel worlds where things might be better than our current globe, a group of genius scientists construct a portal. Once they turn it on, they enter an alternate world that has suffered for decades at the claws of giant monsters. Soldiers inform then that this world is over-run by kaiju and Godzilla keeps the other monsters in check, sometimes with the help of the Mecha-Godzilla robot construct.

   Realizing their mistake, the scientists scramble to avoid the monsters and make their way back to the portal, only to watch the three-headed King Ghidorah follow them through. It proceeds to destroy their world, and the scientists create a fleet of mini-sized Mecha-Godzillas to take it down. 

     When that doesn’t work, they return through the portal to the alternate world and lure Godzilla into following them back. They mess up, and a ton of monsters get through as well. The final solution to their problem is pretty blunt and unexpected, sacrificing the many for the few.

     A fun read, and it will curb my giant monster urges well into next year. THREE STARS. 

#783 - #786  SLIGHTLY EXAGGERATED trade paperback - - A full review of this appeared on the blog for Saturday, December 14. FOUR STARS.

#787  WHERE MONSTERS LIE: CUL DE SAC #1 by Kyle Starks and Piotr Kowalski (Dark Horse Comics, October 2024) I missed the first mini-series (WHERE MONSTERS LIE) about a gated community for serial killers/slashers. I heard enough favorable comments about it to pick this up and check it out. There are several things I like, but not enough to make me want to continue or pick up the first volume.

   The story refers to previous events briefly, and seems to turn on readers being familiar with the set-up here, which I wasn’t. It appears there are several gated communities for these “monsters”, called Site A, B, C, etc. and we are introduced to a new cast of killers, allegedly under the control, supervision and direction of a corporate manager.

      This is labeled as a dark comedy. It’s dark alright, and some of the one-liners are so gross you smirk a little, but it’s not funny. The best thing about this series (in my opinion) is the art. Horror fans should give this a chance and check it out if you have time/money to spare - your 

findings may vary. THREE STARS.

#788  MARVEL & DISNEY: WHAT IF . . .? MINNIE BECAME CAPTAIN MARVEL one shot by Steve Behling and Luca Barbieri with art by Giada Perissinotto (Marvel, January 2025) The publisher’s synopsis:

    Inspired by MS. MARVEL VOL. 1 #1-4, our story finds The Chronicle newspaper reporter MINNIE MOUSE tasked with an exposé on a new hero on the scene in Duckburg, CAPTAIN MARVEL! But PEG LEG PETE - SCORPION complicates her plans with an attack on the Chronicle building! To make matters worse, JOHN D. ROCKERDUCK and the BEAGLE BOYS attack SCROOGE McDUCK'S money bin, and when Captain Marvel shows up to stop them, Minnie discovers an incredible secret about her past! What is Minnie's connection to Duckburg's sensational new hero, Captain Marvel?

   In order to make that plot point work, Minnie has dizziness, black-outs, and memory loss every time danger is near and/or she transforms into Captain Marvel. We learn that her powers were obtained when she interviewed with Scrooge McDuck for a newspaper job. The duck witch Magica De Spell chose that moment to make a magical attack to steal Scrooge’s Number-One Dime, and Minnie was caught in the back-lash. 

   Now you know enough to pass this up, as it’s not so marvelous. Thank me later. TWO STARS.

#789 - #790  VOICES IN MY HEAD one-shot (Image Comics, October 2024) Synopsis from the publisher:

From Eisner Award winner Joe Pruett, comes a collection of disturbing tales, chilling revelations, and magical adventures. Drawn by some of today's top artistic talents, including Michael Gaydos (Jessica Jones), Phil Hester (The Family Tree), Andrew Robinson (Dusty Star), Szymon Kudranski (Spawn), and Juan Doe (Dark Ark), with a cover by Brian Bolland! 1:10 incentive cover by Timothy Bradstreet!

     After almost a decade on the publishing/editorial side of comics, Joe Pruett returns to writing and announces plans for a lot more in 2025.  This one-shot feels like a warm-up, dashing off  a quartet of new stories plus a reprint of his first published work, colorized for the first time.  Two of the stories were completed after receiving the artwork, and Pruett wrote a tale to fit the illustrations. Points for creativity. 

     The first story, “The Peculiar Courtship of Miss Penelope Pembroke”  with art by Andrew Robinson is based on the Brian Bolland cover illustration. In Victorian times, young Pembroke was a beauty - a snobbish high society elite who delighted in turning down suitors. Many years later, in the afterlife she finds herself accepting a devilish marriage proposal.

   The other impromptu story is “The Gears of Life”. Artist Michael Gaydos wanted to draw “ornate birdcages, gears, old machinery, crows, birds of prey, old scientific labs, mechanical stuff . . “ so Pruett worked all of it into a story about a Norse god brought back to life who finds he can converse with birds and gets a valuable philosophy lesson.

   “Four”, with art by Phil Hester, reminds me the VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED/CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED 1960’s films until the final panels where who the four are is revealed. Juan Doe illustrates “Outside The Box”, about a nondescript demon hunter who traps escaped evil spirits within a cylindrical container (with lid). 

   The reprint features Kilroy, a dark mysterious figure who is a Crow-like dispenser of justice. In 1992 Germany, a Nazi revival leader kills the wrong innocent and gets a reckoning from Kilroy.

    If this is a sample of Pruett flexing his writing muscles, I’m anxious to see what he comes up with when the adrenaline starts flowing again. FOUR STARS.