Intermission — April 23 — Bigfoot Problems

There are some Bigfoot problems that hit harder than others — and for certain legendary figures, male pattern baldness anxiety isn’t just about looks… it’s about legacy. Today’s comic imagines what happens when one very famous cryptid starts wondering if his myth might not survive a receding hairline.


What I’m Watching: Invincible, JJK, and the Great Animation Trade-Off

I’ve been watching Invincible with my sons, and I’ve got… thoughts.

First off: the story? Very, very good. Genuinely compelling stuff — even though the violence and gore is way past my personal comfort range. I'm not super comfortable with one character shooting another. The stuff that happens on a median-level episode of Invincible is a real challenge for me.

As someone who does NSFW comics, I'm constantly amazed at how perfectly acceptable Invincible is... yet an animated series based on Phil Foglio's XXXenophile would have people losing their ever-loving minds.

Further, it's a little disappointing to go from watching Jujutsu Kaisen (which we're also following at the moment) to watching Invincible.

JJK features jaw-dropping visuals and animation that constantly raises the bar episode after episode. It's phenomenal.

On the other side of the spectrum, Invincible clearly put all of its budget into getting celebrity voice talent. Some of them are very good.

I just wish a few of those Amazon dollars had been spent on the animation. Some of the scenes are pretty clearly PNGs that get enlarged to show an object moving through space, and it's a goddamned embarrassment.

But the story itself is very, very good.

TWIV March 26

The Week in Villany

Who’s Up and Who’s Down in Crime

Dr. Sivana: The formerly mousy foil of the Big Red Cheese roared last week as part of a team of evil scientists who took down an incredibly powerful — and an incredibly POed — Black Adam. As the other scientists are soiling themselves as the Dark Marvel batters their defenses, Sivana taunts them. “Now you know what it’s like having the Marvels on your ass. He has the power of seven gods — you think about that,” he muses, with his feet propped on a desk.

Props to T.O. Morrow and Egg Fu — the latter of which is a shoo-in for comeback of the year. But Sivana is the standout. Additionally, the defeat of Black Adam foreshadows an even greater role for the bespectacled chrome dome in the aftermath of DC’s 52.

The Headmen: These were never A-list Marvel baddies, but in their recent scrimmage against T&A faves Heroes For Hire, they folded like a deck of cards faster than the Royal Flush Gang fighting the Justice League. Sure they removed Humbug’s head, but it was replaced by the end of the issue. No drama there. As a matter of fact, the whole thing was treated with the same gravitas as screwing in a lightbulb. Ruby Thursday barely did anything remarkable. Of course, the way she’s dressed, she pretty much barely does everything.

Chondu gets an honorable mention for the deadpan digs at Humbug’s physique: “I would be in better shape if I’d taken a child’s body. I’m getting winded just standing here.” He begs to have his head attached to a different host body on the grounds that Humbug’s is “horribly inadequate for carnal pleasure.”

Sinestro The much-ballyhooed Sinestro Corps is starting to take shape in Green Lantern #18 and Green Lantern Corps #10. The yellow Sinestro rings can be easily forgiven for trying to recruit Batman (based on his ability to instill fear) — especially since the next recruit happens to be the Amon Sur, the vengant son of Abin Sur, the Lantern who originally gave Hal his ring in the first place. If the other recruits are as strong, Sinestro will have an A-list team on his purple hands.

If not, maybe they can recruit Ruby Thursday to cross universes and provide a little eye candy.