May 2, 2025

BW Media Spotlight’s Free Comic Book Day 2025 Want List

Yes, kids, it’s that time of the year again. The first Saturday in May is Free Comic Book Day. If you’re Jake from my comic Jake & Leon it’s the most wonderful time of year and oddly I’m not doing a FCBD strip this week because we had a different topic show up and I think I’ve run out of Free Comic Book Day gags.

For the uninitiated, Free Comic Book Day began when Joe Field, who no longer owns a comic book store, suggested a day to bring in new readers through the power of free stuff. Diamond Comics, who is currently between owners after years of mismanagement and screwing over smaller comic stores, took up the cause. Yeah, this is an interesting year for Free Comic Book Day. The idea isn’t that you get regular comics for free but special previews that the readers don’t have to pay for. However, the comic story totally pays for those comics so be sure to buy something from them if you can!!!!! The way things have been for them lately they could use the money. Sadly I am dirt poor this year and I’m still going to look to get at least one or two, even if only from the back issue bins as I have plenty of boards and bags. That’s if I go this year.

I didn’t go last year because I wasn’t up for it and I’m not sure how I’m going to feel tomorrow with my allergies (plus last night my insomnia was interrupted by a pop-up storm knocking out power for almost an hour so I’m a bit tired at the moment) or what the weather is going to be like. So I may be forced to resort to online digital versions from ComiXology/Kindle, Global Comix, Drive Thru Comics, or whatever else gets put online. Sometimes publishers even put them on their website. That would be a shame, since meeting fellow comic fans and finding out what’s out there that HASN’T broken your heart or made by people who call you scum for not kissing their rear ends is the best part of going. Whatever the case, it’s time for my annual look through at the Gold and Silver sponsorships. One costs the store more so they might not get them and given when I wake up they might be gone before I get there. Still, if I go, this is what I hope to obtain:

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Posted by on May 2, 2025 in Comic Spotlight and tagged , , , .

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May 2, 2025

“Yesterday’s” Comic> Jumbo Comics #11

I heard that movie theaters have been getting rowdy lately.

Jumbo Comics #11

Real Adventures Publishing (December/January 1939)

I was going to look at a title I hadn’t seen before, Funny Pages, but only a couple of stories were adventure stories and the comedies didn’t look at that funny. So we’ll jump to this one, which Comic Book Plus is getting from fische. I’m at a point where I have to reread some of these reviews to see if I liked the previous issue enough to continue. These Golden Age anthologies really don’t stick with you, like binge watching a series. That makes it harder for something to stand out, making me realize any heroes we follow today that started back then still being around is nothing short of amazing. And the current comic publishers keep screwing them up with a full length comic. Good going, guys.

[Read along with me here]

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Posted by on May 2, 2025 in Yesterday's Comics and tagged , , , , , , , , , , .

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May 2, 2025

BW’s Daily Video> 10 Marvel Characters Who Came From Outside The Comics

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Posted by on May 2, 2025 in Animation Spotlight, Comic Spotlight, Marvel Spotlight, Television Spotlight, Video Game Spotlight and tagged .

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May 1, 2025

Hollywood Needs To Re-Earn Optimism

I remember the days when the announcement of a movie adaptation of things I loved was a positive thing. I didn’t need the live action version. Animated was fine. The theatrical film was the BIG story, the one too big for the small screen. Or a sequel to a movie I already liked. People loved hearing that Star Wars was getting a third movie, or a new trilogy that filled in the lore officially. We didn’t know if it would be good but if they worked hard on it, and we knew the right people were involved or returning, we had high hopes.

Hope has gone to die in today’s Hollywood.

Not for lack of trying. I see people so sure that THIS movie will be where they get it, right, where they realized their mistakes from before and this time they’re going to make what the fans want, something true to the source material. And then they’re disappointed again when the new movie or streaming show is just as bad as the last one, still pushing some agenda above the story whether it’s sociopolitical or just someone pushing their own tastes into something they clearly hate and taking out what the fans love because they’re so sure they’ll like “my” version better…and then throw a fit when they don’t.

I wish I could be excited for things like I used to, but I can’t. I’ve been hurt too many times and I can easily point to all the problems…problems I don’t see changing anytime soon.

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Posted by on May 1, 2025 in Movie Spotlight, Streaming Spotlight and tagged , , .

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May 1, 2025

“Yesterday’s” Comic> Executive Assistant Iris Preview

I could use an assistant like that.

Executive Assistant Iris Preview

Aspen MLT (April, 2011–digital copy)

WRITERS: David Wohl (script) & Brad Foxhoven, co-creators with Michael Turner

ARTISTS: Eduardo Francisco & Jason Gorder

COLORIST: John Starr

LETTERER: Josh Reed

This is an eight page preview, but I’m a little short on time this week so I’m running with it. Rather than a full review I’ll be judging it as a preview comic.

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Posted by on May 1, 2025 in Yesterday's Comics and tagged , , .

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May 1, 2025

BW’s Daily Video> Iconic Transformers Artwork

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Posted by on May 1, 2025 in Comic Spotlight and tagged , , .

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April 30, 2025

BW Vs. The Gen Xperience> Defending (Most Of) 12 “Hated” Sidekicks

Someone has to stand up for these characters.

There are right and wrong ways to do the sidekick or “mascot” character. For me if the character contributes something important to the team and not just comedy I can totally accept them. Some people absolutely hate these kinds of characters and will tell you that they hated them as a kid and all kids hated them as kids.

They are wrong. I can’t say for certain that he’s lying. The video we’ll be picking apart is called “12 of the WORST TV Sidekicks WE Love to HATE but Secretly Loved”, though I don’t know if “The BEST Classic 80s TV Sidekicks” is part of a series name like the ones I do on this site or meant to be part of this video’s title alone. However, seeing little love for most of the characters, including the usual targets, I had to come in for defense. To be fair, the host of The GEN Xperience does defend a couple but if this were a stronger defense I would just make it a daily video and call it a day, not part of an unofficial article series where I beg to disagree. I also can’t defend every character on this list because a couple were for shows I didn’t really watch and one I actually agree with him on. Look, I can defend mascot sidekicks and even I have my limits. Given what I defend on this list that might surprise you.

Of course all of these characters come from 1980s productions, or in one case a show we could watch in 1980s through reruns but whose first season was in 1979. As an 80s kid myself (born in 1973–yes I am that old–but really didn’t pay attention until practically 1980) I have different memories of these characters and more fondness than he does, even on the ones that are indeed loved to be hated by other “more mature” people. Me? Disagree with the internet? Surely you jest. Watch the video for context (18:49 runtime plus whenever YouTube shoves ads in there), then read my thoughts.

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Posted by on April 30, 2025 in Animation Spotlight, Television Spotlight and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

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