Brainiac On Banjo: Better Dead Than Red? … OR … Schadenfreude Is Fun!

Brainiac On Banjo: Better Dead Than Red? … OR … Schadenfreude Is Fun!

Posted on by Mike Gold

“We are forces of chaos and anarchy. Everything they say we are, we are. And we are very proud of ourselves.” From We Can Be Together, written by Paul Kantner.

President Shanda turns out to be the one who has been gelded. Donna Trump! The true victors of last week’s election were the Lords and Ladies of Irony.

We most certainly deserve this victory lap. In fact, we deserve a victory marathon. Exhale, try to relax, shake off that hard-earned winner’s rush and get back to work. The Presidential election is a mere 728 days away, and if you look back to where we were two years ago, 728 days barely is a fart in a blizzard.

Of course, we should celebrate our asses off. I’d kiss a nurse in Times Square, if not for that invasive thing. To my horror, I remember when Ann Richards lost the Texas governor’s chair to one of the dimmest light bulbs in the Republicans’ bargain-basement closet of dimwits. The concept of one of our largest states turning from a color so crimson it was deeper than Stalin’s party membership card to the same shade of blue that Donald Trump wanted on his Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was not on the table.

More to my shock and awe, the South Carolina electorate also turned towards fairness and egalitarianism. People who went to bed early last Tuesday woke up on Earth-2. “Blue South Carolina” is a three-word phrase that I did not have on my Bingo card. Continue reading “Brainiac On Banjo: Better Dead Than Red? … OR … Schadenfreude Is Fun!” →

So Long and Thanks For The Fish, Man #129: St. Louis, We Hardly Knew Ye

So Long and Thanks For The Fish, Man #129: St. Louis, We Hardly Knew Ye

Posted on by Marc Alan Fishman

This past weekend, your favorite little indie comic book publisher, Unshaven Comics, ventured out for its last con of 2026. Making good on the twice canceled GalaxyCon: Milwaukee, we made our way to the rain-checked new city dujour… St. Louis! Given two tables for the price of one, sharing the show floor with a small mix of celebrities, voice talent, and yes, even some comic book makers, our goal remained simple: Twenty books sold per day to make ends meet. The last time we tabled at a GalaxyCon event, we ventured to Tornado Alley for Oklahoma City’s pop culture convention. Given the relative success of that show, combined with a shorter commute to Illinois’s kissing cousin across the Missouri River, your Unshaven Lads were optimistic about meeting the aforementioned goal.

Sadly, we should have been a bit more pragmatic.

Loss: Sad-sack Sales

I’m not going to sugar coat to kick things off, kiddos. We eked out the weekend with sixty-one trade sales. Across the twenty-four available hours to sell, we were only able to average the twenty books a day necessary to deem the show OK. The reality was that moving our lit was a slog. The show floor itself was small — with somewhere in the vicinity of about ten to twelve rows of vendors and artists, and a very liberally spaced guest area. So, a con-goer could lazily cover the entire show in about ninety minutes if they chose to make frequent stops. When it came time to huck our wares and perform our patented pitch, the crowd never swelled past a dozen or so folks in any given aisle. The somewhat normal nature of a con crowd that feels ever so slightly cramped was nowhere to be seen.  Continue reading “So Long and Thanks For The Fish, Man #129: St. Louis, We Hardly Knew Ye” →

With Further Ado #419: TOKA and Jack Faragasso

With Further Ado #419: TOKA and Jack Faragasso

Posted on by Ed Catto

The other day, my wife asked me a question about my collecting. She “innocently” inquired if there are any particular comics I am still on the hunt for.. or any series I’m looking to complete.

I think it was a trap.

I cautiously replied, “No, of course not. I’m way beyond at this point.” Upon reflection,  I did explain there a couple of series I’m passively on the hunt to complete. The Occult Files of Doctor Spektor comes to mind, and I always will enjoy a picking up a reader copy of an old Rip Hunter, Time Master.

Then I realized that I might be looking to complete my run of Dell’s Toka, Jungle King. It’s a curious ‘60s series about an Incan King thrust into modern times after being in suspended animation for 400 years. He roams the jungles of South American with his only friend, a faithful monkey named Chala.

[And you thought Captain America had it bad with his Rip Van Winkle routine from WWII!]

Issue #2 is a fascinating story of Toka and two woman, told in that classic Silver Age “I’m telling this story to kids but I’m really not” fashion.  After a brief recap of his origin, Toka a saves a beautiful slave girl, from some mean modern-day indigenous Jivaro tribesman.  She’s smitten but Toka is oblivious to it.

After 400 years, you’d think he be interested in a little companionship. Continue reading “With Further Ado #419: TOKA and Jack Faragasso” →

Brainiac On Banjo: Seize Our Future

Brainiac On Banjo: Seize Our Future

Posted on by Mike Gold

“Your servant here, he has been told to say it clear, to say it cold. It’s over. It ain’t going any further, and now the wheels of heaven stop. You feel the devil’s riding crop. Get ready for the future. It is murder.” From The Future, written by Leonard Cohen.

Those of you with sharp memories might possibly recall, oddly, that I do this rant in one form or another right before every national election. The details vary with the times, and these are very varied times indeed. I believe some of the Christian Nationalists will view my comments as the harbinger for their end times. If so, that gives me hope. I look forward to discussing politics with you at the perdition weenie roast.

Tomorrow is Election Day. If I’m reading the room correctly, a lot of Pop Culture Squad readers already have voted. Both my editor and my publisher here have voted, and unless somebody swiped me an extra sticker, I have as well.

I voted in person and not by mail. If I trusted Donald Trump’s postal service, I guess I might have mailed it, but quite frankly, I wanted to put my ballot through the computerized counting machine with my very own eight fingers. Even in those elections I know are unlikely to work out the way I’d want, I feel great satisfaction in doing my duty to democracy. After all, democracy is the cornerstone of United States Americanism. It’s pretty much my religion.

You might think voting does not matter. If so, your rock needs better Wi-Fi. Plenty of races are decided by a handful of votes — almost all elections finish within the polls’ margin of error — and we’ve got a whole bunch of seemingly tight races going down tomorrow. “But they’re all the same,” you might respond… to which I respond with “No they are not, you fucking moron, and screw Ralph Nader and his remaining camp following horde of fools. Pay even a bit of attention to the candidates. See what they say about concerns you find vital and, much more important, see what they do not say about those concerns.” Continue reading “Brainiac On Banjo: Seize Our Future” →

Crowdfunding Campaigns You Should Be Backing – October 2026

Crowdfunding Campaigns You Should Be Backing – October 2026

Posted on by Bob Harrison

Crowdfunding is now a major avenue for making comics, and at Pop Culture Squad, we enthusiastically support creators’ efforts to get their stories in the hands of readers. As we reach the end of October, we searched through the list of active Kickstarter projects and selected EIGHT campaigns that we wanted to highlight.

At the time of this writing, there are 408 live projects plus another 541 that are still accepting late pledges. What an array of comic book projects! Every genre, and various levels of organizations from established publishers to single cartoonist making hand printed zines are there to choose from.

How did we choose just EIGHT. Well first folks, we are busy and need to make this readable. Right? Second, we looked to support creators that we believe in. Of course, this list is not inclusive of all the amazing stories being funded on Kickstarter right now, but we think it is a good mix of projects that could use a boost and those that have already met their goal.

Here is the list of comics projects that we think you should be backing in the order of when the campaigns are ending from soonest to latest:

Skelly and Ghost!

Dead friends are friends forever!

Ends: Sat, October 31 2026 12:00 PM EDT
Status: Funded
Link to Project: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/blindwolfstudios/skelly-and-ghost

This project from Blindwolf Studios is for a new graphic novel by Eisner winning cartoonist Franco along with Alex Giannini and Nicolas F. Aureliani. As Halloween approaches, this definitely fits the mood. Franco and friends have done a great job developing independent stories over the last couple of years, and this looks like another one. This campaign ends in just two days, and while the creators have reached their funding goal, that bar was fairly low and we would like to see the tally go way up.

From the Campaign:

Now that that’s out of the way, who are Skelly and Ghost?!

They’re best pals, and they’re on a mission to find something very important. Something they lost a long time ago. Only, they can’t quite remember just what it is they’re looking for. Oh, and they’re not…exactly…alive.

But!

Their adventures are whimsical, thought-provoking, and dare we say, heartwarming. We hope you’ll join them on their search! You’ll meet new friends along the way, like our favorite dumpster-book-reading raccoon (whose name is Zeke); and you’ll reflect on things like the true meaning of Halloween and our place in the cosmos. No, really!

The book is already completed, and files are ready to be sent to the printer. Continue reading “Crowdfunding Campaigns You Should Be Backing – October 2026” →

With Further Ado # 418: Batman’s Boss Solves Crimes -for REALS!

With Further Ado # 418: Batman’s Boss Solves Crimes -for REALS!

Posted on by Ed Catto

One good thing about cinema in 2026 is that we can find, and watch, almost any movie in the blink of an eye. A downside, however, is that we’ve lost the communal aspect of sitting in a theater, with a group of strangers, and sharing the experience of watching a movie on the big screen.

So, when I had an unexpected opportunity to watch a movie on the big screen at Cornell University, I was elated.  Cornell Cinema is a long-running series there that shows old and new movies alike. Way back in the ’80s I enjoyed it, and now that I work in the town of Ithaca, where Cornell is located, I try to drop in every once in a while.

Everyone Is Lying to You for Money is a 2024 documentary directed by and starring Ben McKenzie. You might remember him from shows like The OC, Southland, or even Gotham. For five seasons in that Fox show he played a young version of Commissioner Gordon, Batman’s friend and confidant on the police force.

This “newish” movie engagingly documents McKenzie’s struggle to understand and investigate the confusing and sketchy world of crypto currency.  We’ve all seen the headlines. For example, we’ve watched as Sam Bankman-Fried went from celebrated young entrepreneur-billionaire to disgraced (and penniless) felon serving a twenty-five year federal prison sentence. But there’s more to it than that. McKenzie takes viewers along with him as he dives into varies rabbit holes in search of understanding and explaining crypto. Continue reading “With Further Ado # 418: Batman’s Boss Solves Crimes -for REALS!” →

Pop Culture SquadCast – Live: Episode #171 – with Special Guest Becky Cloonan

Pop Culture SquadCast – Live: Episode #171 – with Special Guest Becky Cloonan

Posted on by PCS Staff

Join Bob and Mike as they chat about current Pop Culture events. Legendary comic writer and artist Becky Cloonan will return the SquadCast to talk about her latest Kickstarter project Fever Dream, plus whatever else we can come up with. It is sure to be a great conversation. Be there.

We hope you enjoy the conversation.

If you don’t catch it live, you can watch later.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kineticcollectibles/feverdream

 

Brainiac On Banjo: Nostalgia For Amnesiacs

Brainiac On Banjo: Nostalgia For Amnesiacs

Posted on by Mike Gold

“My brain is losin’ power. Twelve hundred neurons every hour, my brain. Cool little cluster, that’s my brain.” From My Brain, written by Mose Allison.

Can you be too much of a comics fan? Well, of course. Nonetheless, if you find yourself losing your shit over possessing an entire line of reprints, perhaps you’re into this a bit too deep.

Several years ago, I was at a convention chatting with my old friend Jamie Graham at his sea of Graham Crackers dealer’s tables. Dan DiDio was standing next to me, spelunking through the long boxes in search for copies of Marvel’s Where Monsters Dwell. I was impressed, but Dan seemed a bit embarrassed. As a fan, I understand taking a deep dive for comics that reprint other comics that are already in my collection. Most fans are touched by at least a little bit of OCD. Continue reading “Brainiac On Banjo: Nostalgia For Amnesiacs” →

So Long and Thanks For The Fish, Man #128: The Brightest Day

So Long and Thanks For The Fish, Man #128: The Brightest Day

Posted on by Marc Alan Fishman

Let’s not bury the lede. Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King’s Lanterns was a master stroke. As Mike Gold already stated perfectly, it may not be your Hal Jordan, but… suck nuts if that fact ruined an amazing show for you. Because guess what? A movie or TV show—even prestige animated remakes of existing comics—get to be their own damned thing. Alan Moore said it best doing that “… reduces comics to static, motionless versions of movies and renders the comic medium a poor relation to the film industry.” In other words, comics are their own thing. Adapting a comic to a TV or movie means that the medium has the right to adapt the characters, the stories, and the through-lines to be its own thing. Lanterns did this in spades.

My very real entry to comic books was Green Lantern vol. 3, #48—released in January of 1994. While I knew Hal Jordan (errant episodes of Super Friends to thank there), I had not read a single page of a Hal book prior. Guy Gardner? He was slinging a yellow ring, and then they decided he should be a shapeshifting something or other. So, I had no love for the character…rightfully so. And John Stewart? No clue who you’re talking about, bruv.

By the time Justice League dropped in November of 2001, I knew most of the backstories and such over the Lantern core. I knew the Killowogs from the Mogos. I’d read the entire Parallax saga, and loved that DC dared to let a character evolve—before Dan DiDio and Geoff Johns decided that was a terrible idea, and the silver age was amazing, and screw anyone for trying to do anything but let Aquaman wear an orange shirt. John Stewart was more or less a series of bullet points to me though. He’d become a mentor to Kyle Rayner in multiple books, and I appreciated that. I knew vaguely of the destruction of Xanshi (mostly due to the appearance of Fatality, the vile villainess), and much like the Parallax saga, appreciated that DC once published with a backbone. And here, Paul Dini and friends dusted off John for their debuting follow up to BTAS and STAS.  Continue reading “So Long and Thanks For The Fish, Man #128: The Brightest Day” →

Brainiac On Banjo: Under The Influence

Brainiac On Banjo: Under The Influence

Posted on by Mike Gold

“Might be a rock’n’ roll addict prancing on the stage, might have money and drugs at your commands, women in a cage. You may be a business man or some high degree thief. They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief. But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed, you’re gonna have to serve somebody.” From Gotta Serve Somebody, written by Bob Dylan.

— special bonus! —

“Well you may believe in devils and you may believe in lords, but Christ, you’re gonna have to serve yourself and that’s all there is to it. So get right back here, it’s in the bloody fridge. God, when I was a kid, didn’t have stuff like this, TV fuckin’ dinners and all that crap. You fuckin’ kids are all the fuckin’ same. Want a fuckin’ car now! Lucky to have a pair of shoes!” From the response song Serve Yourself, written by John Lennon.

And now for today’s unanswerable question: are we a nation of sheep?

Or, to pose it another unanswerable way: What the fuck are influencers? Why do people pay attention to them? How do they pay their rent? What do they put under “occupation” on their 1040s?

More important, in my humblest opinion: why do people follow influencers? Isn’t simply believing in Trump enough? As Bob Dylan said, “you’ve gotta serve somebody.” Or, perhaps as John Lennon suggests, maybe you should consider taking responsibility for your own actions and desires.

Then again, I have long been proud of being a freelance black sheep. The work ain’t bad, and there’s plenty of job security.

So, why can’t we make up our own minds? I get it; making up your mind requires thought, and thought is hard work. It’s a lot easier to have others do our thinking for us.

Maybe we never adjusted to the absence of our parents, our teachers, and other thought-provokers. Our media has become nauseatingly lame, even more so since Donny and His MAGAts put the Christian Nationalists in charge. If everybody’s got to serve somebody, it may be the devil, it may be the lord, but they want it to be Trump. Continue reading “Brainiac On Banjo: Under The Influence” →