And now something completely different: I’m starting this column a bit differently last month. I got some really tremendous feedback from readers about how March was a milestone month for me on my journey to getting myself right. It’s when I started therapy back up (2021), when I quit drinking (2022) and when I started seeing a psychiatrist (2022) to get myself right.
April has not always been a kind month to and this year was no different. The confluence of intense, real life worries combined with over-extending and over-committing myself lead to me absolutely short circuiting.
Moral of the story? Self-care is important.
Self-care has been bastardized and co-opted into something employers and old heads can do the Leonardo DiCaprio “snap your fingers and point at the TV meme” when making their arguments about the younger generations being “soft,” “lazy,” “entitled” or whatever. Self-care isn’t just taking a spa day (which sounds amazing) or skipping out on your diet. No, self-care is also about knowing your limits, prioritizing your mental and physical health, and being able to find time for yourself so you can decompress, refocus and take stock of yourself. This month, let’s all try and be kinder to ourselves and care of for ourselves. We’ve all been through so much over the past 10 years, we’ve more than earned our break.
So I Read Comics Now: Love me an event series. Gang War is an arc that takes place over across issues of The Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Miles Morales: Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Master of Kung Fu (Shang Chi), Daredevil and Jackpot (the new superhero persona of Mary Jane Watson). The story features a ludicrous amount of guest stars outside of the aforementioned title characters, including: She-Hulk, Kingpin, Tombstone, Spider-Boy, Daughters of the Dragon, Miss Marvel, Hydra, A.I.M., Electro, Typhoid Mary, Count Nefaria, Cloak and Dagger, Madame Masque, Scorpion, Blade, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Shocker, Hobgoblin and more.
The basic premise was set in motion when former mayor Kingpin had the “anti-vigilante” law put in place, effectively outlawing costumed heroes. The law has been hard to overturn, even with Luke Cage elected as Mayor of New York City, and She-Hulk as his right-hand. The City explodes as Tombstone, Madame Masque and Robbie Robertson’s son (who was set to marry Tombstone’s daughter) were all gunned down. Every section of New York is carved up by various gangs, and it’s up to superheroes to break the law and save the day — even with the police and ‘cape killers’ (costumed law enforcers) trying to stop them.
The run is wildly enthralling — particularly Shang Chi’s arc — as he plays both sides of the conflict, being in charge of a gang himself and a costumed hero. His moral grey area, and using that as strategy is a fun wrinkle to your typical, shoot-the-works multiple time event series. That being said, Gang War is not typical, it’s actually very fun and all the writers do a great job of creating interesting, insular plots to each individual title without ever losing the main narrative arc. You can read Gang War on Marvel Universe.
Oh the Random Things You’ll Hear: This the name of my ever-evolving Spotify playlist that was created back in 2011 (currently at 2,808 songs). Every month I’m going to give you some recent cuts from this list that I’ve added that are in heavy rotation…
“Standing on the Verge of Getting It On” by Funkadelic: Random pull, right? However, I’ve recently learned the George Clinton-fronted band used to absolutely rip back in the day. It’s not just the low end antics of this song that make it great, this song has some absolutely scorching guitar work and is such a weird journey, that you can’t help but find yourself consumed by it.
“Shadow in the Sun” by Joe P: In 2013, every possible surface area of Asbury Park, NJ had a sticker for the band Deal Casino on it. The young band was ever-present in the Asbury scene and honed their craft into one of the best acts in town. Sadly, the band went their separate ways, but their lead singer Joe P. has continued on and is currently signed to Atlantic Records. Joe’s casual charisma and phenomenal storytelling have made him a darling on Sirius XM and college radio, and his latest “Shadow in the Sun” is a testament to his burgeoning star power.
“Flannel” by Surfing for Daisy: It’s nice to have two Asbury-centric bands on this list. Surfing for Daisy has a phenomenal anthemic ballad with “Flannel.” The band’s folk-rock stylings should immediately slap them with a “throwback” label, but there’s nothing antiquated about this group. Timeless is a much better way to describe their sound. Next big thing in the scene would be another.
“Desire” by Grace Potter featuring Lucius: Listening to 90.5 the Night has re-introduced me to some great acts — with Grace Potter definitely being one of them. We all know “Paris [Oh La La]” is her big one, but that’s not where she ends. “Desire” is a reminder that Potter can absolutely wail on the mic. Lucius is always solid with their harmonies and really are a nice addition to the song.
Reeeee-Watch: X-Men ’97. Is this actually a re-watch? No, of course it isn’t. What it is, however, is the best show I’ve seen … maybe all year. This follow-up to the iconic X-Men: The Animated Series has zero right of being this good. What do I mean by that? This could have easily been a warm blanket of nostalgia. This could have been a big, fun action-packed animated series that pops its audience every time the words “bub,” “sugah” and “cher’ are uttered. It could’ve been littered cameos, winks and nods, Easter eggs and the stuff of comic book glory. And we would have enjoyed it, but ultimately, I think it would’ve been forgotten amongst the endless sea of content.
Instead of being a non-stop nostalgia fest, X-Men ’97 has been a gripping, dramatic, soapy, intellectual discourse on racism, the collective traumas of the past 20 years, inclusion, diversity, love, relationships and the struggle to belong. It’s so much deeper and more meaningful that it needed to be. However, the shows means so much more now. We’re running to Disney+ on Wednesdays, screaming from the rooftops to anyone who will listen as to how good this series is. With three episodes left, I cannot wait to see what this series has in store.
Of Course, Wrestling: This past Sunday at AEW Dynasty, “The Aerial Assassin” Will Ospreay and “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson had one of the greatest wrestling matches I’ve ever witnessed. My words cannot do it justice. Go out and find it wherever you can. It’s worth your time and money. It’s a love letter to everything great about the sport of pro wrestling.
