July 6, 2025

Jake & Leon #647: Title

At least I have something going for me.

Over at The Clutter Reports this week I had things other than writer’s block getting in my way but I did manage to complete my browser bookmark reorganizing. Now I just need to go through the various links on my browsers for a deeper dive. I hope to work that into my current routine, as I finally seems to have the beginnings of a routine. Now if I can avoid dealing with medical stuff, mine or my dad’s, for awhile I might get into a proper routine. Guess what’s not happening anytime soon!

Somehow I’ll try to get all the comic reviews in, since they’ll be missing for my birthday week despite my goals, the Chapter By Chapter review of Tom Clancy’s Op-Center: Mirror Image, and looking at the last of the documents for the Doctor Who 1963 notes and reports. Otherwise I’m hoping to save my buffer for the birthday week if I need it and not have to do anything. Maybe I should have made it this week, but it’s too late now. Maybe I’ll even have comic reviews for next week. We’ll all find out next week. At least we have the full schedule this week.

UPDATE: So it turns out I’m done with December, 1939 when it comes to Golden Age comics. This week begins January, 1940 based on the Comic Book Plus “virtual newsstand”.

Speaking of which, have a great week, everyone!

Posted by on July 6, 2025 in Jake & Leon and tagged , , , .

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July 5, 2025

Saturday Night Showcase> Liberty’s Kids

Yesterday was Independence Day. If I waited until next year it would be right on Saturday Night Showcase, but who knows what I’ll be doing next year?

Liberty’s Kids is a 2002 PBS series made by DIC Entertainment. It was rare that a major animation company (there are so few of those left as all the only big name studios of the pass still around are Disney and Warner Brothers, and Disney is barely an animation studio these days) produced something for PBS. Usually it’s the smaller studios, which isn’t a slam. Some of those are quite good but DIC was one of the biggest TV animation studios of the time. Their library is now owned by Cookie Jar Entertainment…or I guess Wildbrain now? I can’t even track of all these acquisitions anymore.

The show focuses on three kids working for Benjamin Franklin’s printing company as the Revolutionary War takes place. The focus character is Sarah, a British girl who slowly begins to agree with the colonies’ desire for freedom. Her proper ways clash with would-be journalist James, who is protective of his friends. The last member is the obligatory “happy go lucky” member, Henri, a young French boy. The show lasted one season and featured a few celebrity voices. For example, newsman Walter Cronkite voices Benjamin Franklin.

In this two-episode pilot, the war begins just as Sarah comes to the colonies to meet up with her father. What is the biggest war: colony versus King George or Sarah versus James? Find out and enjoy.

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Posted by on July 5, 2025 in Animation Spotlight, Saturday Night Showcase, Television Spotlight and tagged , , , , , .

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July 5, 2025

BW’s Saturday Article Link> Even Disney’s Theme Park Abandons Animation

The former House Of Mouse continues to distance itself from its legacy in film, but now That Park Place has an article eulogizing the Hollywood Studios Animation Building, which is sitting vacant while the former Disney-MGM Studios in Florida has played other games with Disney World attractions that don’t seem to be benefitting it. If they really do plan to bring back 2D animation, reopening this attraction to help people reconnect with their cartoon legacy would be a good idea. They don’t do good ideas at Disney anymore.

9/13/2025: There is an update to this article in a different Saturday Article Link. I should have posted this when that came out.

Posted by on July 5, 2025 in Animation Spotlight and tagged , .

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July 4, 2025

Iron Man, Ironheart, And That “Box Of Scraps”

This scene has been used by pretty much every video I’ve seen critical of the Disney+ take on Ironheart. In the show, Riri complains that she doesn’t have Tony Stark’s money and can’t build as good a suit as his Iron Man armor because of that lack of funds. While studying at MIT on a full scholarship. And designing projects for kids in other schools for money that she could have made herself for money. The counterargument specifically comes from Obadiah Stane’s line “Tony Stark built this in a cave. With a box of scraps.” This is considered a big deal, and seeing as clips I found like this predate Riri Williams’ debut in Black Panther(less): Wakanda Forever it’s not like the scene isn’t already well know by fans. Could I call it “iconic”? Considering that’s word damage I can’t blame Alanis Morissette for, I couldn’t tell you even if I cared.

This article is not to join on the bashing…because by it’s nature it shows further flaws in Riri’s character. Brian Michael Bendis created Miles Morales for his son and Riri Williams for his daughter, and given not only the response but the way the characters have been written by himself and later writers, I think she got the raw deal. While Spider-Man version 2 started out in another universe, and only moved to 616 after the original Ultimate Universe became a victim of the bad writing in all the other Ultimate titles and just some of the horrible things the “heroes” did in those not Ultimate Spider-Man titles, Riri was always written with an ego, a lame backstory, and was always meant to replace Tony Stark in the main universe. This led to poor reception of the character that no writer since has been able to fix because they keep adding to the bad ideas.

Or maybe someone tried. I need to finally watch this show. Also curious what the Disney Junior Iron Man series is going to do with her.

Anyway, the reason for this article is to actually show just how amazing Tony’s armor is in actual context. There’s more to what Tony pulled off than being in a cave with a box of scraps. After all, those scraps were stolen Stark technology and he probably designed most if not all of it. No, when you really think about what he pulled off in that cave you see just how much of a genius he was. The fact that it makes Riri’s decree that it’s the money that made Tony Stark Iron Man look even dumber is just a bonus coincidence.

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Posted by on July 4, 2025 in Marvel Spotlight, Movie Spotlight and tagged , , , , , , , .

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July 4, 2025

“Yesterday’s” Comic> Top Notch Comics #1

Yes, some adults do still play with the toy cars they collect. What’s wrong with that?

Top Notch Comics #1

M.L.J. Magazines, Inc. (December, 1939)

Yet another new Golden Age anthology for us to examine, folks. This (cover dated) year has given us a few. This one actually starts with an interesting story idea along the lines of the World Trade Center or me and Op-Center: Mirror Image, in that we didn’t expect certain events to happen, and yet they did. Meanwhile there are a bunch of other stories as well. Do any of them ever make a return? Let’s start reading and find out.

[Read along with me here]

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Posted by on July 4, 2025 in Yesterday's Comics and tagged , , , , , , , , .

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July 4, 2025

BW’s Annual Declaration Of Independence Videos> What Happened To The Signers

This one is for my fellow Americans. For the rest of you, other articles are coming later today. Or tomorrow. Whenever they show up in your time zone.

Catch more from Les Puryear on YouTube

Could you make this kind of sacrifice to create a free country? And of course we need an actual reading.

Catch more from American Village on YouTube

Don’t forget the reason for the Fourth Of July being a day off here in America. It’s not for the barbecue, it’s to honor those who sacrificed everything to allow you to have that barbecue. Enjoy your family, but remember these heroes.

Posted by on July 4, 2025 in Uncategorized and tagged , , , .

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July 3, 2025

Doctor Who 1963 BBC Reports & Notes> Background Notes On Dr. Who part 2

Yes, it’s a day early. Discussing a British show on Independence Day just felt weird. If you have to ask why, your history teacher failed you.

I initially thought this was going to turn into a three parter give the word count after the previous installment. However, to break this up properly would put this article’s word count at under a thousand, so we’re going over 3000 words, which I usually try to stay under just because I know your time is important, and as cool as this trivia is you’d probably rather watch the show than read about it. Don’t worry, I brought videos to give you a break, though that wasn’t intentional when I put them in originally.

In our last installment we began looking at the next document in our list, the “General Notes on Background and Approach” for the show Dr. Who, so even the spelling would changed by airtime. We got to meet the crew, but in this half we’ll check out the infamous Time And Relative Dimensions In Space machine and learn more about the crazy old man piloting it. At the time, that name didn’t exist. Neither did the police box. Apparently neither did the ship. As for the Doctor himself, the backstory we know today about the renegade from the planet Gallifrey who sought exploration and became a hero did not exist. What did they plan for the old man and his blue box? Let’s jump in and find out.

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Posted by on July 3, 2025 in Doctor Who 1963 Notes/Reports, Television Spotlight and tagged , , , , , , , .

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