August 24, 2026

Chapter By Chapter> Star Trek: The IDIC Epidemic chapter 10

Chapter By Chapter (usually) features me reading one chapter of the selected book at a time and reviewing it as if I were reviewing an episode of a TV show or an issue of a comic. There will be spoilers if you haven’t read to the point I have, and if you’ve read further I ask that you don’t spoil anything further into the book. Think of it as a read-along book club.

We saw the beginnings of a new romance subplot, but let’s get back to the situation on Nisus.

Romantic subplots are fine in Star Trek. Many good episodes involved one of the crew with some kind of love interest, though these were usually one-shot characters who showed up again. TNG had a large enough cast and backstory to have dating among the main characters, namely whatever Troi, Riker, and Worf were doing. Personally Troi and Worf seems oddly mismatched so I’m kind of glad that didn’t hold.

Until the Kelvin Timeline movies you didn’t see dating between the crew, but there were only three women and Nurse Chapel even took a break once from pining for Spock, which transferred over into the animated series in Harry Mudd’s solo toon appearance.  (Catch it on MeTV Toons if you can. Pluto TV still doesn’t have it up with the other Star Trek shows. Still the kid left in the corner.) Kirk’s track record may have been exaggerated over the years, at least in canon shows and movies, but he’s usually the one you most think about having a girl in every proverbial port, though McCoy, Chekov, and Scotty have had their relationships. Sulu had to wait for a fan series to have a daughter.

I wouldn’t want to see romance as the main plot, but a bit of romance now and then can only benefit the characters. It won’t help Korsal, but now we’re just segueing back to what he’s been doing back on Nisus.

Continue reading →

Posted by on August 24, 2026 in Chapter By Chapter, Star Trek: The IDIC Epidemic, Television Spotlight and tagged , , , , , , , , .

3 Comments

August 24, 2026

BW’s Daily Video> Superhero Suits Aren’t “Realistic”

WARNING: Some serious adult comments pop up every now and then. Some viewers may be more sensitive to it than others, but I still think it’s worth watching.

Catch more from Logic Logan on YouTube

Another reason asking for “realistic” in a superhero story is absurd. It wouldn’t be any fun for the viewer/reader.

Posted by on August 24, 2026 in Movie Spotlight and tagged , , .

1 Comment

August 23, 2026

Jake & Leon #695> Missing Sleep

We need to stop sleeping on a cure for insomnia.

Over at The Clutter Reports this week, getting over my own insomnia and having to due a bunch of projects on Saturday led me to start a new inventory project, of my home videos. I didn’t expect to finish yesterday, but I was hoping to be further along than I am. So we just have a quick report, with plans to do a more thorough advice thing next week. Maybe.

I took the IDW More Than Meets The Eye comics from the Transformers list in the Comics For Sale section of Clutter For Sale because right now they’re headed to someone in Canada who wanted them. Paid a good price, but it’s been so long since I’ve used PayPal that they changed things on me. The “donation” link for anyone wanted to support the site doesn’t work anymore. Anyone have good luck with Ko-Fi? Based on my Patreon experience I’m not expecting much, mind you. I need to create bonus content or early access that will entice people, but like Jake this week I’m struggling just to get regular stuff out sometimes.

There’s usually not much to update these days thanks to reducing the comic reviews. It’s just the next installment of the Chapter By Chapter review of Star Trek: The IDIC Epidemic and whatever there is to discuss during the week. Have a great one, everybody!

Posted by on August 23, 2026 in Jake & Leon and tagged , , , .

Leave a comment

August 23, 2026

“Yesterday’s” Comic> Pep Comics #3

superhero The Shield dropping bombs on Nazi submarines with American bomber airplanes alongside him

Today he’d get called out for littering the ocean.

Pep Comics #3

M.L.J. Magazines (April, 1940)

We’re at issue #3. Outside of its history for the sadly little known Archie heroes I haven’t been impressed. It hasn’t been terrible. I’ve read worse anthologies. I think. I’m going by my reviews because so far the only memorable characters are memorable for Archie’s attempt to bring them back and that one time DC tried to make a couple of revival attempts on their own. And for this comic it’s just been The Shield and The Comet. History won’t save you in my now reduced rotation, as Uncle Sam over at Quality found out. (Speaking of DC revivals.) So let’s see if they’ve gotten any better or at least interesting enough to continue on with.

[Read along with me here]

Continue reading →

Posted by on August 23, 2026 in Yesterday's Comics and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Leave a comment

August 22, 2026

Saturday Night Showcase> Ultraman Zero Cosmo Rise: Rise! Hero Of Light

Why yes, it is a Japanese title. How could you tell?

So I haven’t run out of Ultramen just quite yet.

Created as part of Ultraman’s 60th Anniversary, Ultraman Zero Cosmo you saw the rest of the title is a 25 minutes special which also pushes a new toy for the kids. I think. I haven’t seen it but I don’t follow the Japanese toy market. I barely follow the US one anymore due to not being around kids and not being able to collect them anymore myself.

The Absolutions, enemies from the Ultra Galaxy Fight series, are seeking the cosmic ray power of a kind kaiju. In their way are Ultrawoman Grigio and Ultraman Boy, two of the younger New Generation Heroes who have befriended the creature. They may not be any match for the Absolutians and Absolute Diavlo, but when Zero enters the fray and that other Ultra entity from the Ultra Galaxy Fight series give him a new toy weapon, he’ll have to face every Ultra they can fit into this story.

Unfortunately for dub fans, there is no dub as of this writing. Too bad, because I really like Zero’s English voice. So subtitles via the captions–make sure to set them to English or your preferred language–is the only way to follow this one from YouTube. Enjoy.

Continue reading →

Posted by on August 22, 2026 in Saturday Night Showcase, web series and tagged , , , , , , .

Leave a comment

August 22, 2026

BW’s Saturday Article Link> Jim Cummings Scorned Again

Here’s one to add to the Darkwing Duck descriptions: “I am the award you cannot win.” That’s Jim Cummings trying to be considered one of Disney’s legends, having been the voice of DW in two versions of Ducktales and his own show and probably some other stuff. He also voices Pooh and Tigger, and a bunch of other Disney characters, and yet Bob Iger gets made a Disney Legend before he does? Something is seriously wrong at Disney, as That Park Place contributor Marvin Montaro goes over.

Posted by on August 22, 2026 in Animation Spotlight, Movie Spotlight, Television Spotlight and tagged , , , , .

Leave a comment

August 21, 2026

Why Does Only Spider-Man Have A Secret Identity?

Exaggerating? Only in the comics, but even then it seems to only extend to the Spider-Folks. The X-Men and Fantastic Four have never had a secret identity. Captain American and Iron Man lost theirs. In both the comics and Marvel Cinematic Universe, Peter Parker used magic to erase his secret identity from the world, MCU Spidey going the extra mile and erasing his other identity as well. (Wonder how he gets food?) In fact in the MCU I don’t think anybody started out keeping their identity a secret except for Spider-Man. Tony Stark dropped the closest he had just before the closing credits, while the comics did it in the most narratively lame way possible because the writer didn’t care. Even then I saw the fading of secret identities in the Marvel Comics universe (the real 616).

I’m not going to get into the secret identity debate. We all have our opinions, and this article already covered that debate. I’m pro secret identity but that doesn’t work for every hero. The Fantastic Four maintaining them wouldn’t be the same. Thor outright gave up his secret identity, and somehow what they did to Donald Blake after that was inhuman. I didn’t realize Odin was as terrible to humans as his Olympian counterparts outside of the God Of War Games. The question isn’t should Spider-Man (and the rest of the Spider-Colony) keep their alter egos. We have our thoughts, but we’ve seen what happens when Peter at least doesn’t maintain his.

Instead, I’m asking why is it only Peter? Why has Marvel and their writers made the decision to let Peter have his alter-ego, even when Doctor Octopus is running around in his body, and not anyone else? In the MCU he’s it. I’m just kind of confused.

Continue reading →

Posted by on August 21, 2026 in Marvel Spotlight, Movie Spotlight and tagged , , , , , .

Leave a comment