Quick Bits (March 2025)

I apologize for some of the comics posts that were published early, and erronesouly, retroactively in February. I am experiencing some browser issues, so I had to switch browsers and am still working things out.

By the time you read this, Disney+' Daredevil Born Again will have premiered and I will have more to say on it, but this is being written days before it premieres. I know all about Disney's political news and am no fan of their recent decisions, so I can only hope for the best. I don't even care about Marvel these days, but I still love Daredevil.

Demiplane and Roll20 are now integrated one-way (Demiplane to Roll20).

I might take a look at Eden's City of Heroes, a superpowered TTRPG that I think is based on the Cinematic UniSystem. Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG is great and superhero in its own right, but I would still like to explore City of Heroes a bit. All I have is the QuickPack, which is all I see released.

I am still hard at work on the webzine idea and hope to have more news on that by this time, but it's slow-goings as I learn everything I need to know. I will be focused on digital only, exclusively at DriveThru RPG to make things as simple as possible. I will expand into other formats and markets if I see fit. I am busy with layout and design, and learning the publishing end of DTRPG.

© The Weirding, 2025

Lockdown, Pt. 1

I am still hamstrung by Internet-related issues, such as Blogger trying to force me to allow i18n-cloud. appspot. com in this browser window to post images or video.  I have no idea what that is, nor have I seen it before, nor do I want to use it (whatever it is).  Google [dba, Blogger] also wants me to sign-in to a slew of Google services I do not use and do not want, including Google Play, Google APIs, et. al.

I believe there is a workaround but, yet again, I am unable to access The Weirding at all, which complicates matters.  I'm certain these issues are related but have no idea as to how, nor have I figured out how to block/remove/restrict them yet.  I planned to take the computer in for repair back when I last posted, then the COVID-19 outbreak occurred.

I actually was very sick for several weeks, with an extremely dry and forceful cough, high temperatures, and so on, but it appears to be tied to the weather and is most likely a sinus infection or simple cold/flu.  OTC medicines and a shitload of vitamin C got rid of the cough (mostly, it's productive when it occurs now and I'm not having long, hard, barking fits like I was) and fever, and my ears are draining, which is not indicative of the virus.

That said, I definitely could have contracted it but, either way, I sequestered myself indoors a week or so back -- a few days before this became a media sensation and political football (to borrow a buzzword) in the US.  I'm not sure people are taking it as seriously as they should, though traffic has thinned significantly, according to people with whom I've spoken.  I have not left my house in almost three weeks now, except to check the mail.

I have taken measures to avoid all Russian, Iranian, Chinese, and North Korean operatives, which is remarkably easy, in case you wondered.  I heard that Nashville is on lockdown and that there is a petition requesting Governor Bill Lee expand that statewide, which he has not done.  In fact, no Southern GOP Governor has issued a statewide lockdown as of this writing.  Governor Abbott volunteered Texas' septuagenarians for death, to which I say, "Okay, Boomers!"

Fuck 'em; they're Texans and we need the beds.  I suggest turning Six Flags Over Jaysus into a temporary shelter-in-place old folks' home / morgue -- at least until Easter, when all of this will magically be over!

There is a COVID-19 crisis unfolding in Tennessee and around it -- Louisiana is quickly overtaking New York as the epicenter of the US outbreak as I write this -- but it is unlikely to turn into the nightmare we're watching across the rest of the world for another week or two.  I plan on staying at home the entire time, mostly inside.

I'm going to post when I can and work on these computing issues, as well as catch-up on my subscriptions.  I read the last four issues of the original Daredevil (2019) run and I have the newest incarnation lined-up and ready to go, along with DKIII and Golden Child.  I also received the latest Weird Tales a while back and hope to get into that, too.  I'll at least post some music for the foreseeable future.

I suggest Pluto, Xumo, and Al-Jazeera for COVID-19 coverage, as well as Merlin, Young Dracula, and the original Being Human.  It looks like Pluto is finally running some different MST3K episodes, so I hope they get some new RiffTrax, too.  The NHK (Japan) channel is a really unexpected blast, as well!

Stay inside; limit your IRL, personal interactions; do your very best to avoid beaches, public transportation, hiking trails, and fatal viral infections; and wash your hands often.  "We're all in this together," but all of you need to be in this together over there --- - ---- - --- ->

© The Weirding, 2020

Daredevil #2

Daredevil #2

© The Weirding, 2019

Man Without Fear #1

Man Without Fear #1

Stan Lee Dec 28, 1922 - Nov 12, 2018

© The Weirding, 2018

The Death of Daredevil, Pt. 1 #609

Daredevil #609

© The Weirding, 2018

How to Draw Daredevil Variant

How to Draw Daredevil

© The Weirding, 2017

Daredevil #17

Daredevil #17

© The Weirding, 2017

Kingpin #1

Kingpin #1

© The Weirding, 2017

Bullseye #1

Bullseye #1

© The Weirding, 2017

Running with the Devil

Running with the Devil

© The Weirding, 2016

Civil War II: The Accused #1

Civil War II: The Accused #1

© The Weirding, 2016

2 Cool Internet Things and 3 Streaming Media Things

Daredevil Season 2

It's Friday! So, once again, we have a handful of links to help you through the weekend. Almost all of this week's selections are comics-related.

1. The preview trailer for the animated adaptation of Batman: The Killing Joke was released over the weekend.
   
2. David Apatoff loves great art, and enjoys sharing what he finds on his blog, ILLUSTRATION ART. (This link should have been in the sideboard already, but it got lost in my bookmarks. It has since been added.)
   
3. ICYMI, Canadian authorities declassified the personal records of one James Howlett last week.
   
4. Daredevil Season 2 is now playing on Netflix. (Image by SpiderMonkey23.)
   
5. Pee Wee's Big Holiday is now playing on Netflix, too! AAAAAAHHH! Haha!

© The Weirding, 2016

Daredevil #1

Quesada Variant

© The Weirding, 2015

Taking My Time with Daredevil

I have started to rebel against binge-watching. I like binge-watching and I binge-watch plenty of things but there are some programs that, for whatever reason, I want to draw out and spend some time with. Daredevil is one of those shows.

Daredevil is one of my favorite superheroes, as it was one of the first titles I grew-up reading. My collection of Daredevil comics is mildly impressive. I know a lot about the character and consider some of the stories classics in pop-culture, if not popular literature. I was one of the few who enjoyed the original Daredevil movie, although I admit that much of that likely stems directly from fanboyism. So I really want to enjoy this new series.

Having watched the first few episodes, I can safely say that I do enjoy it. I have some issues with a few things, such as the lack and misuse of a score and three-minute fight scenes, but I am enjoying it. However, Daredevil fell prey to the problem I have with binge-watching, which is that I watched enough episodes back-to-back to start catching the pattern, or formula, to the episodes. All series either start with or develop a formula, and this is not necessarily a bad thing - even classic TV series like The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents had a formula - but once you see enough of them, they become predictable or you simply grow tired of them.

The Twilight Zone is a good example, as many of the episodes are considered classics in their own right, but long-time fans of the show know that most episodes follow a similar narrative path and use similar themes. With The Twilight Zone, viewers are rarely able to predict the outcome of a story but they are aware of the methods employed to tell it - the tropes of the series. Fans even know to expect a twist-ending, so the tropes of the show actually set viewer expectations.

This superhero TV and movie trend is going on 15 years old now. I haven't seen a whole lot of adaptations that I truly loved - most of them have been rather forgettable - and they have all looked the same to me for a while now. Daredevil is a great character with a strong theme and origin, large supporting cast, and decent rogue's gallery who deserves a decent TV series. I'm just worried that it's late to the game.

I read somewhere that Daredevil started out as a procedural and you can tell. I'm not a fan of procedurals and I've read the Daredevil vs. Kingpin story at least a half-dozen times since Frank Miller made it famous in the 1980s. While it's the iconic Daredevil story, it's been told - and rehashed - already. I desperately want to like this show, so I'm limiting my intake to one episode every few days instead of binge-watching so I'm not focused on the negative.

What I'd really like to see is what the comic book itself used to deliver: Some over-arcing storylines and character development but a fair amount of self-contained episodes. Daredevil's formula used to be pretty straightforward, starting with a lead from a client, leading to Murdock becoming somehow personally involved in the case (usually morally), then to a larger conspiracy involving some type of organized criminal activity. Murdock would intimidate witnesses and gain information about higher-level bosses who usually wound-up being supervillains or in some supervillain's employ. Not everything lead to Wilson Fisk, who was originally one of Spidey's rogues, and Daredevil closed more than a few cases in a single issue or two. Daredevil deserves what all these iconic comic book superheroes do from a show: An opportunity to tell original Daredevil stories on TV, not to rehash his origin story.

I'm happy new fans get to learn the background but I hope future seasons introduce new villains, characters, and situations that are unique to television or at least told uniquely from its perspective.

© The Weirding, 2015

Daredevil 15.1 by Chris Samnee

Chris Samnee

Experience the life and times of Matt Murdock as told by his Eisner-award winning creative team as well as a few guest creators in DAREDEVIL #15.1 – an oversized special featuring superstar talents Mark Waid, Chris Samnee, Marc Guggenheim and Peter Krause!

Matt Murdock, now publicly revealed as the man behind the Daredevil mask, has begun working on his highly anticipated autobiography! As the Man Without Fear begins to dust off the cobwebs of his past adventures, who knows what untold stories might shake loose!

What happens when Daredevil catches a murderer while out on patrol, only to have to defend him in court the very next day? Marc Guggenheim (Amazing Spider-Man) and Peter Krause (Daredevil: Road Warrior) have the answer as Matt’s double life leads to some hard choices!

Then, Daredevil artist extraordinaire Chris Samnee writes and illustrates his first hornheaded tale as the Man Without Fear of yesteryear comes face to El Diablo! Prepare for a devil vs. devil throwdown the likes of which you’ve never seen before!

Rounding out this oversized issue is new material from the monthly Daredevil team of Waid and Samnee that will have fans on the edge of their seat! This April, relive the greatest untold stories of Hell’s Kitchen’s greatest guardian with DAREDEVIL #15.1!

DAREDEVIL #15.1
Written by MARK WAID, MARC GUGGENHEIM, CHRIS SAMNEE
Art by CHRIS SAMNEE & PETER KRAUSE
Cover by CHRIS SAMNEE

On Sale April 2015!

© The Weirding, 2015

Daredevil #17

© C Harris Lynn, 2012

Avenging Spider-Man #6

© C Harris Lynn, 2012

Daredevil 10.1

© C Harris Lynn, 2012

Daredevil #12

© C Harris Lynn, 2012

Daredevil 2011

© C Harris Lynn, 2011