This Week's Comics March 25, 2025

My Pull list and the end of an Era?

I spent 35 years as a public school teacher, more years if you count the time I spent working at a day care center throughout college and my last year of high school. I’m part of the generation (whatever letter you want to choose) that was raised to take work seriously. As a teacher my job pretty much defined me. There were things I avoided because I was a teacher and (according to state law) a “Moral Exemplar.” Why did I leave? I’ve mentioned it before but pretty much politics and doublespeak- not seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and the Peter Principle impacting in school administration. Before I left I tried out a retirement job at the LEGO Store. Having been a robotics teacher and STEM advocate it was an awesome match. I had to quit, when my school schedule and work schedule didn’t mesh. After retirement I spent a year trying to figure out what my new life would be before applying again to work at the LEGO store. I did this not because I was bored, but I figured I needed some “egg money” to help offset my Whimventures® so I wouldn’t dip into my retirement savings as much.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Last week I had a chat with my manager about my vacation… and basically put in my notice. It seems that large multi-national corporations have rules and I appreciate that they must follow them. One of those rules is the number of days between shifts. My vacation was going to exceed that limit. So I could either cut my vacation short or quit. So I quit. The last time I worked here I actually cut my vacation short. I’m too old to deal with confining rules. Yes, I’m Lawful Good, and according one of those crazy online personality tests an “Obliger” which translates “I do what I have to do. I don’t want to let others down, but I may let myself down.”* I decided that maybe it was time to do something for myself. So I did.

Then again, amusingly, this week I had my company mandated review. 🙄 I’ve been told that if I want to return I’ll need to reapply when I return, it is Summer hiring time. I get that, what I don’t get is the need to tell me what I need to improve on as a growth moment. Yes, it started off with positives (I have a Masters in Educational Administration, and I have given kids grades for 30+ years. I know how reviews are done). Even though I am leaving, the review needed to be done. What I was confused about was this review was for the last quarter of 2024… I had figured out what mistakes I had made and made changes. You might consider it “malicious compliance” I just didn’t take initiative as much as I felt I should have, I did what was expected. It hurt, but at least I didn’t get written up about not being in my “zone” without permission. 🙄

I did not leave without a plan- I actually have another job lined up- one that is in the vein of Homer Simpson leaving the power plant to work at the bowling alley. I’m going to start helping out at my local comic shop. I’ve been doing some things to help there, but this will be a more formal arrangement and I’m looking forward to it. Being a small business the pay isn’t what LEGO pays- but that’s OK. This isn’t the first time I’ve taken a pay cut to do something I wanted. I’m hoping that I will no longer have to meet hourly sales goals, or deal with a focus on survey results. Best yet, I’m really hoping that I won’t have to check an app to see when I’m working. So I can plan around a concrete schedule. Yes, I’m still taking my vacation- I’m going to a comic book convention… duh.

What about LEGO and being a fan of the highly sophisticated interlocking brick system? My personal love for LEGO won’t end, but I’ve noticed that I’m not as excited about new releases as much (even One Piece & Pokémon), and really keep asking myself- do I need this? Where will it go? What will I do with it in the future or in terms of my last post- Who would want it when I pass on? I see myself still buying modular buildings, and the Winter Village sets. If the rumor is true about Star Trek (LEGO doesn’t let anyone know what’s coming out and chastises those who do)… then I might be in trouble.

My Comics

So I now work at Comic Carnival on Wednesdays and Saturdays. I’m learning about life on the other side of the counter. I’m not sure how this will impact my weekly comic reviews. I’ve noticed I do have time to pull some stuff I might not normally have a chance to see when I just run in a quickly look at the shelves.

Dawn of the Black Axe #1 - Years ago I fell upon the first Mouse Guard book. It was amazing! Mouse Guard is set in a world where “Mice fight with swords.” The Guard protects other mice and their communities from predators. It is lovingly crafted and has been a joy to read. This latest installment in the this universe follows the story of the first mouse to wield the Black Axe and got by that name. The Black Axe was introduced in the first series (Fall 1152) as a legendary hero among the mice. Like all good heroes no one knows who he is.

Amazing Spider-Man #70 - This looks like it is the end of the mystical Spider-Man… we shall see what happens next and if things will return to normal.

Ultimate Wolverine #3 - Introducing Kitty Pryde, Gambit, and Natasha Romanova… up against our man Logan still brainwashed and under control of the Eurasian Republic. Are the walls around Logan’s memories starting to crack?

Ultimate Spider-Man #15 - Peter and his family have escaped New York and are now out west (Utah) on “vacation.” Peter & his son, Richard, go off on an adventure. Richard has Peter’s nano-controlled suit from when Peter had been kidnapped by Kraven… If you haven’t been keeping up, sorry. While sightseeing they discover a classic Spider-Man villain who in this world, may be just another tragic laboratory accident. Hopefully they will find out before he kills them.

We’re Taking Everyone Down With Us #1 - I’ve go a few first issues or starting arcs this week which make things interesting. Like all good stories we need to figure out the rules for the world, and the players in our little drama. This is the story of a neglected little girl named Annalise and her father Dr. Dante Alderman. We’re not sure what exactly the good doctor is doing, but he talks about saving the world, and also about being hunted down by evil people bent on stopping him. Annalise just wants to spend time with her father and not the robots he has built to help around the house, and keep her safe. As a kid she gets into mischief and places she should be. I, like Annalise, just want to see the vampire apes.

Defiant #25 - so we close up the last arc dealing with the Cardassians and Section 31 and are brought into the same time period as the Star Trek Comic leading into the Lore War. Like any good comic no one stays dead forever, so expect to see the return one one of the Defiant crew members who we mourned.

Doom’s Division #1 - Yup, The Marvel Universe is under the protection of Victor Von Doom. Sadly, he’s united the world and provided things like education and health care of all, and removed national boarders so people can travel freely. There are those who resist and those who wonder when the other shoe is going to drop. This comic takes place in Asia and focused on the Team of heroes set up to keep everyone safe. For me, a lot of heroes I have never heard of.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #4 - Based on the cartoon. Will Peter be able to stop Silvermane? Will peter be able to survive the attack of Silermane’s hired goons?

The Mummy #1 - I picked this up because I have loved Fath Erin Hicks’work and was curious about the return of the classic monsters from Universal (Even though I’ve always been a werewolf fan, Hicks made me want to pick this one up. AS I said before it’s a first issue, so we are setting the stage for whatever happens next. Our main character is Helen, daughter of a British Archeologist and an Egyptian woman. The main part of the story happens when she is 16, and like many 16 year olds, she just wants to fit in. She steals away with a friend to her father’s dig site and… well, it’s just the first issue.

The Last Boy #1 - This one was recommended by Tim, the Owner of Comic Carnival, and if I’ve learned one thing - read what the experts recommend. Again- issue 1, so we are taken back to Neverland (Second star to the right…) and find Peter is still a child, while the rest of Neverland seems to have grown wiser. Something has occurred in the interim, the Great Fire Battle, which has changed the landscape and Peter’s relationships with everyone. We also see what has happened to Wendy over the yeas as she is about the get married… but will she?

Doom Academy #2 - Zoe’s adventures in a magic book… is it safe? That and the rest of the crew still work on the next issue of the Doom Academy Dispatch… that and the introduction of the infamous Mister Doombot!

Money Shot: Big Bang #0 - I had heard interesting things about this and discovered that this is an area of comic I usually don’t read, so this is a catch up issue, going through the previous arcs in order to get you up to speed with whatever the next arc is going to be. It seems that scientists, due to funding cuts and the difficulty in getting grant dollars have come up with a different way to get their projects/research funded. In this day and age, it seems like a possibility.

Absolute Martian Manhunter #1 - Yes, another intro issue. With is being the absolute DC universe we know a little background, but not about this character and the changes to them. John Jones is an FBI agent with a wife and son. He just went through a horrible incident and now things start to get weird. Taking the original Martian Manhunter character (basically Superman like, add telepathy, shapeshifting, and a dislike of fire) we see the world through his sense, except that he thinks he’s a normal human. So it’s amazing how the art work translates the world and especially how he see’s thoughts and feelings. I’m interested in how it will all come together.

Adventureman Family Tree #1 - If you’ve followed Adventureman in the past, this one seems to be adding even more layers to the world and the backstory of Adventureman. This one follows a Romeo & Juliet like story from the past. “The Adventureman Index says there were only 182 novels…” but there are a bunch more and this is one of them. Outside of that story, we are dealing with the ramifications of the last arc with some possibly positive news.

Absolute Wonder Woman # 6 - New arc and a change in artist. Not saying it’s bad, it’s actually awesome, but I had gotten accustomed to Hayden Sherman’s art so seeing something more traditional was a bit of a shock. It looks like this is only for the next two issues. Diana tells the tale of how she came about some of her toys…

I did find the Lil’ Diana stories at the end, delightful.

Welcome to the Maynard #4 - I missed getting this one last week - and the culminating issue for this story. It would be bad of me to tell you anything other than it resolves in an appropriate manner. Hopefully there will be more in the future.

Justice League Unlimited #5 - And so while trying to keep the G20 safe, our heroes learn who is really behind everything that’s been going on… Oh, and the cover doesn’t give anything away. 🙄

Batman # 158 - The first Hush arc introduced to a Batman villain no one had heard of, and who was… unique. Now he’s back, the question is why, and what is he going to do this time around? Last time he shook Batman’s world. All we as readers know is that after this story is over Batman will be reset. As for this one, Batman basically goes up against the Joker, telling an old joke. However, it looks like the joke is actually on the Joker.

Department of Truth #29 - In this day and age this can be a hard title to read. The government seems to think that they actually have a Dept. of Truth out there that can change reality on a whim… This issue covers some more of the backstory and how things shifted over the years.

Flash # 19 - “Nobody ever remember the bard…” It looks like the family is all brought together to fight Eclipse, but will that be enough? Poor Foxy.

Radiant Black #32 - So Radiant Black had an awesome run dealing with two timelines and therefore two issues each month each one telling the story in their respective timelines. Like on the various multiverse crisis events there are the same people in each dimension and in the case of Radiant Black, refugees from one timeline now living in this one. It seems that some of these are now targets of some group. All while Marshall is still trying to get his life together… then again, maybe he’s finally found a soulmate.

Superman #24 - Superman deals with corporate stuff while Lois goes off to help the Justice League. You see Lex Luthor gave his company over to Superman a while ago. Lex’s Assistant, Mercy, has been dealing with the day to day running of the corporation. Now some of her corporate decisions come to light…

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* Having been in education for decades I’ve gone through so many different personality filtering programs. Most were ways to figure out that we are all unique and understanding that we need to approach students and fellow teachers as individuals. The big one was MBTI, in that system, I’m an INFP-T. Which means I’m Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Prospecting, and Turbulent. Use the link to find out more and test yourself. Here’s my most recent test results: