It's a milestone week here in Dope Land. I woke up to two bits of exciting news on Tuesday. First, our audience grew to 18,000 subscribers on YouTube! I've set a goal in my head to reach 20k by November. But the truth is, the number only matters to me as much as I'm bringing joy to the person on the other end of it. That any singular person chooses to spend time listening to what I have to say about an artist's words and pictures will always be mind blowing to me. That makes the next announcement even sweeter... The 2025 HeroesCon schedule is finally out, and I'm hosting my first panel! On Saturday at 4:30pm, I'll be teaming up with my good friend Badr of The Short Box: A Comic Book Talk Show for a live podcast taping! We'll be yapping about the best comics of the year so far, and bringing out a few surprise guests (rolodex, don't fail me now)! On The Channel I'm sticking to my word and doing my best to upload more frequent videos on the channel. In case you missed it, check out last week's premiere of The Review Desk -- where I shared my thoughts on Marvel's latest summer debuts, plus more than a little analysis of Priest & Quesada's Marvel Knights: The World to Come. [Spoilers: the debut of T'Charlie caused a stir, but this comic fan ain't worried a bit.] I can't promise The Review Desk will be a weekly series. But I at least want to do one installment per month, aligned with some of the most talked-about comic releases. If haul videos are more your speed, you can check out everything I added to the collection in May here. On The Podcast Thanks to my busy schedule, the Podcast has become video only in the past several weeks. I'm working to get the audio published to the feed for you daily commuters. In the meantime, please check out the latest episode featuring Chris O'Hara of Bentbox Comics. His campaign for Refuge #1 is still ongoing, and we need every supporter we can to make it happen. The Last Word This week, I've been bugged by the age old debate. Should I keep buying series monthly, or drop them and wait for the trades? My budget can only handle so many comics. And my schedule can handle even fewer. But now more than ever, it seems impossible to narrow down the books on the list. Everything I read is good. Some things I read are GREAT. And there are several titles I haven't gotten around to, that others tell me are great. All of Ghost Machine's output for example. Every time I decide to trade wait, it seems to end poorly. I'm still waiting for Dynamite to collect Space Ghost and Jonny Quest. X-Force got canceled after 10 issues. The sob stories go on and on. So I'll leave that last word with you:
Vote wisely, but with confidence! Read Something Dope Today, BJ KICKS |
Celebrating everything Dope about comics. Curated by BJ KICKS.
Yesterday, I posted a video updating the general public about what I've been up to lately. If you read this briefing regularly, you already know. I'm busy being a family man, yada yada yada. But I also hinted a bit at some things to come on the channel. I've been searching for ways to include more book reviews in my heavily compressed schedule, and I think I've found just the trick in YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels. Look, Ma! I'm in 16x9 format! While I've been hesitant to join the...
Long time no newsletter, huh? It's been one of those months. Field trips. Recitals. Graduations. I haven't had a weekend without a calendar event since Easter Sunday. The last time we talked, I told you I was going back to my day job the following Monday. It makes sense that I haven't had the time to type out an update since. But there's a light at the end of the tunnel, and it's called SUMMER VACATION! Nothing says "I had a day off" like St. Louis ribs cooked for 5 hours. Yes, it's a random...
My favorite retail holiday is just a few short days away, and I'm excited about it! Since you're a die-hard who subscribes to the e-mail list, I'll spare you the full story for an 18 millionth time. But Free Comic Book Day is what got me into comics 6 years ago, and it's probably the best chance we have all year to add new fans to our numbers. Besides being a fun, family friendly way to spend your Saturday morning; Free Comic Book Day also gives established readers their first glimpse at...