Deodorant fights

COMIC COVER OF THE WEEK

By Betsy Cola. Ludicrous concept, yet v. well executed. Catches and holds the eye. A fitting tribute ;-P

SONG OF THE WEEK

"Always In The Sun" by Tokyo Tea Room (UK). Indie pop with a dash of funk. Her voice is incredible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rzAx2-cMcw

Commended >>> "A Different Kind" by Rakim (US), "Learning To Talk" by Soft Vein (also US), "Amiga Do Tempo" by Boasorte (Brazil) and "Yeah" by Charlie XCX (UK).

RANDOM RPG REMINISCENCE

Saw a dude reading a "D&D" manual in a lecture. Got chatting afterwards. He invited BP and I to try his home game. Told us what level characters to make, ability-score total points, said we could have a couple of magic items, etc. We rocked up with a pair of stone-cold killers ready to take on the toughest dungeon he could send our way. It turned out to be a lore-heavy, combat-light "Dragonlance" campaign. Never went back. It was a long drive from our seaside fishing village, too. Ah, well, I remember we all pigged out on KFC and there was a likeable fellow who was a refrigerator mechanic and felt like a kindred spirit.

Blink twice

NOVELTY NOODLES OF THE WEEK

US import. Looked the part, defo smelt the part, tasted a tad weak.

DL FANZINE OF THE WEEK

Yes, I'm sure he is trolling using "UFC" above scenes from MVP.

HYPOTHETICAL OF THE WEEK

You can only eat five types of fruit & veg for the rest of your life.

For versatility, I'd choose: potato, tomato, spinach, lemon, apple.

Every family member/friend I asked gave me a different fab five!

Stacking your pushie is hectic

Faffed around with a Brawl build using new card Fin Fang Foom (below). Initially, it was landkill/dragons for less-focused funsies, then I relented and switched to landkill/heavy artifact. You either destroy two of their lands on Turn 4 and they immediately quit or, given the ferocity of the current meta, you don't and rapidly get steamrolled. It's a third-tier deck option.

The 2023 documentary "Tollund: The Enigma Of The Swamp Mummy" is comprehensive enough for me to recommend it. I learnt several things about ecology, archaeology, Danish museums and present theories of Iron Age life. Shame about the silliness at the very end, where - spoiler warning! - they made Tollund Man's eyes open and stare out at the viewer.

Since you didn't ask, my favourite Sanrio character is Keroppi.

VIP POV

"U/C" score: 18 right.

RIP, Bill Oddie.

BEER OF THE WEEK

A flavour to savour. Do yourself a favour! Meanwhile, here's a pic of the forgotten Supergirl, Helen Slater.

Life, the universes and analysing things

Borrowed this tome from the public library. Youth, unconditional friendship, the immigrant experience, the college experience, identity (formed through music, fashion, politics, extra-curriculars...), bonding activities, D&Ms, rituals and in-jokes, sentimental gifts/discards, car trips, food, mixtapes, zines, sports, cinema, sex, drugs, protests, pranks, part-time jobs, sharehouses, role models, future ambitions, senseless tragedy, almost irreconcilable loss, grasping for answers, therapy, parental love, volunteering in the community and keeping alive the memory of a beautiful person.

As good as everyone said. Maybe gooder.

The over-the-top humour (cheap deaths) didn't do much for me. The cameos were pretty effective, though. And the "Fallout" scenario and closing twist will keep me tuning in for at least another episode. Don't think I ever laughed. More of a weird show than a funny one.

It only hasn't happened until it does

LISTENING ON MY DAILY WALKS

Well, this was inevitable, given how much I enjoyed Volume 1.

Ear-wax museum

COMIC COVER OF THE WEEK

Amid the oodles of throwaway cover variants that pose an existential threat to the industry they almost killed in the '90s (some publishers have clearly learnt nothing), Paul Chadwick's beautiful, thoughtful painting deserves to be celebrated.

SONG OF THE WEEK

"Kawa" by Doeun & Jiana from the group Young Posse (Korea). Note: I should point out there are flashing lights in the clip, in case you have photosensitive epilepsy or another condition that makes these a potential danger.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY4SA0X2kvg

Commended >>> "Killing Time" by DMA's (Australia), "Home Depot" by Medium Build (US), "Cold Hearted" by Agatha Is Dead! feat. Schramm (Germany), "Cinema" by Dynamite Shakers (France), "Fineapple" by Pineapple Express (India). Was surprised to discover that P/E track was produced by the brother of a former colleague. Small world!

RANDOM RPG REMINISCENCE

On the subject of bros...the one time JH's older brother C. tried "D&D" to see what the fuss was about, I wasn't there. I looked over his abandoned character sheet afterwards. It was a cleric named Brother Brian. From what the others told me, he'd actually played BB like a holy man rather than merely a fighter who could cast healing spells. For a little hack'n'slash munchkin like I was then, it was food for thought. I wonder why - to my knowledge - he never engaged with the game again.

MISC.

* Finished "The Blade Itself". Took long enough to assemble the party ;-P

* Have moved on from the Anina deck to a pile based around Baron Zemo.

* Desperate to watch "M/O/T/U" on Prime today, but will I get sidetracked?

Sharp, shocking shorts

Not bad. I thought they could have made even more of the mad-scientist theme that was running through a few of the strips. But, as I said, not bad. And a "2000AD" standalone special will always be a blast from the past for me. It was so exciting when they'd unexpectedly turn up on the stands back in the day. Now, we know about every single product months in advance. The internet has sucked a lot of the mystery from the world. Speaking of mystery, stop reading now if you don't want to be spoilered on the "Strange New Worlds" Season 4 opener ... Not fussed? OK, well, S4 got off to a Spock-rockin' start with a plot involving both Martians and dinosaurs! The writing was tight, the CGI was on point and, while the ending was a bit downbeat, there were multiple memorable scenes - I'm still thinking about the connotations of the ep this morning.

Big Audible dynamite

Am 12 hours into this audiobook on my daily walks (10 to go). It's gritty AF heroic fantasy. Not quite up to Gemmell standard, but what is? Certainly good enough for me to continue with the rest of the trilogy.

Mechanical pencil

A fan of Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki since 1989's "Leningrad Cowboys Go America", I was keen to see this 2023 rom-com...yet somehow waited three years. Blame the Pandemic for scaring me out of cinemas and making me reliant on what turns up on my various free/paid streaming services. "Fallen Leaves" is like a fairytale told with harsh realism. While the viewer hopes the leads will be granted a happyish ending, the odds in their community of damaged people, precarious low-paying jobs and rampant alcoholism are against them. What we in Oz sometimes dub "battlers", Ansa and Holappa own precious little but have so much to give if the Fates would just be kind. You'll root for them, too.

Received this HC GN as a pressie. I don't mind Harley, however I hate The Joker, who I find over-exposed and boring. Considering that, the fact it's entirely written and drawn by one person - Stjepan Sejic - and the known arc, I was shocked by how fine I was going along for the psycho ride. Quality work.

Built a Brawl deck based around this chick. The random critter is taken from the total "Arena" card pool of hundreds (thousands?). There are a couple of other spells in the deck that also have a similar effect. With the right combination, you can summon an instant army of randos! Of varying usefulness :-)

"When you move, the monsters move"

Managed 21 on "U/C".

MANGA OF THE WEEK

Heart Strings XX

After 20 instalments, it's becoming quite difficult to find images of striking and/or noteworthy babes with bows that I haven't posted afore.

1. Fashion shot of Japanese model Chiharu Okunugi. (I was actually searching for kyudo archeresses.)

2. "The Archer" (1910) statue by Ferdinand Lepcke in a park in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

3. Nightingale Armour set from the videogame "Skyrim", as recreated by a talented American lass known as Armored Heart Cosplay. 

4. Saucy thumbnail - or should I say bum-nail? - from the "Archery Clash" game app.

5. Libuse Safrankova in 1973 Czech-East German movie "Three Wishes For Cinderella". She was 20 at the time.

6. Australian "Playboy" magazine from July 1982.

7. "Seldarine Dedicate" by artist Howard Lyon for the "D&D 4E - Divine Power" manual. Such a great illo!

LHS 1140 b

Will be nigh on impossible for tomorrow's World Cup final to top this morning's third-place playoff. What a show-stealer! The 10(!!!) goals, the near misses and saves, the records set, the crowd reactions, the slick pitch, the DRAMA between two eternal rivals.

Smashed this bookazine in short order. From items such as Eldrad's Hand and the Moleculon Nanoscaler, the ace hacks springboard into examinations of wider aspects of "Who" like the use of quarries and surprisingly many tales involving miniaturisation. These writeups feel fresh while, to my eyes, correctly privileging the classic era.

(Very) Aussie zombie fillum from 2024. Smart, sensitive, stylish, sinister, stark, savage, something special!

Squirm like a wyrm

COMIC COVER OF THE WEEK

"Justice League Unlimited #21" by Seb McKinnon. Eerily beautiful! I'd put it on a wall. I'd go there if I could.

SONG OF THE WEEK

"Heaven" by Tayori (Japan).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyZdh5GaVJo

Commended >>> "Call The Cops" by Xzibit, B-Real, Demrick (US) is REAL rap; "Brussels Is Haunted" by Echo & The Bunnymen (UK) could have been an '80s hit for the band; "Sunshine (Just Right)" by Tessa Violet (US) is cuter than I normally like but somehow gets away with it; "Ultimate Sacrifice" by Gloryhammer (UK) grows on ya - should be heard LOUD while browsing the racks in a heavy-metal store; "Barthelona" by Sofi Tukker (US) is unadulterated fun.

BEST THREE NEW 'TOONS I WATCHED YESTY

The animations I saw on Friday would fill a reel the size of a cosmic wheel...er, if they weren't digital. The Top 3 standouts had to be "One Piece Heroines" [Netflix], "X-Men '97" Season 2 [Disney+] and "Smoking Behind The Supermarket With You" [Crunchyroll].

NEW FAVE BITMAP COMPENDIUM (TA, RS2)

Considering I lived through the VCS era, played all of the key titles extensively and have since read tons of articles on the system/games/programmers/publishers, I was suprised by how much I learnt from this designer doorstopper. It has overtaken the Sega Master System compendium as my favourite in the range.

Missing Scorpia

Felt a bit off. Had an AFD (alcohol-free day). Dug out the album below for a listen. Still ultra-cool nine years later. Watched the season opener of "Only Connect". Newcastle, Australia appeared on one of the Connecting Walls! Spooned Greek yoghurt and honey onto a slab of homemade apricot'n'almond slice. Did not regret it. Read some of the new issue of "Wargames Illustrated". Did less interesting stuff.

Mid-air refuelling

Got my six-monthly Covid jab. The next 24-48 hours will inevitably involve some unpleasant flu-like symptoms. Better than the alternative!

Backed Professor DM's "Deathbringer" TRPG on BackerKit. I like deadliness of the rules and the unreconstructed nature of the art.

Are you into Chess? The latest ep of the "Perpetual Chess Podcast", with special guest Bruce Pandolfini, is equally entertaining and insightful, supported by an unmatched authority lightly worn.

https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new-blog/2026/7/14/ep-490-bruce-pandolfini-on-50-years-of-teaching-chessnbsp

Saw the fourth flick in the "Roundup" series, from 2024. As the villains keep getting nastier (and stabbier), watching Don Ho's rule-bending detective punch seven shades outta them grows increasingly more satisfying. And knowing the actor himself beat UFC powerhouse Alex Pereira's score when they had a contest on one of those video-arcade punching machines in Korea only adds to the believability of the blows.

Did the Sherlock Holmes-themed "Exit The Game" on my own last night. Was so impressed with the ingenuity of the design and the sneakiness of the puzzles! Scored 5/10 possible stars. I was fast, but had to use several clues. I suspect the next "E/T/G" I tackle will be easier because - SPOILERS AHEAD!!! - I now know a problem may require combining separate puzzle elements, scrutinising/utilising the packaging, temporarily breaking a game rule (a line of text urged me to "rebel")... Physical challenge-wise, I had to assemble two little cardboard cabinets with drawers! I also had to line up depictions of a room's contents in order, foreground to background, on wooden skewers to plot the trajectory of a bullet! Cheers to PG for recommending this range of escape rooms in a box, of which he and his missus have solved a few.

Spiral staircase syndrome

It's been so cold here the past two days, I've had to wear gloves while hanging washing on the line and collecting it again. When I was in junior high, there was a lad who sported skiing gloves in the playground in winter because he was prone to chilblains. Poor bastard, I thought. Now, I am that bastard.

"University Challenge" is backeroonie. If "Chef & My Fridge" is what I *tell* people is my favourite active program, "U/C" is my favourite-favourite. The questions are always easier at the beginning of the season. I got 17 correct today before the students could answer. Imperial look like genuine contenders.

Finally read all of the novel "Railsea". I bought my signed hardcover from Books Kino in 2012. At the time, I was working on an MMA mag and I recall discussing it with a bloke from the auto mag across the room. Not sure why I never finished it then. Anyway, I deshelved it recently and righted that wrong.

Think: "Moby Dick" meets "Snowpiercer", only weirder and bolder than that, with an old-fashioned principled young hero, linguistic/narrative quirks and a surreal development that threatens to derail the enterprise but doesn't. The conclusion left me feeling I was in Robert Silverberg territory (compliment).

Pine wine with a P

UFC 329: Every fighter who I particularly wanted to win did so - Wang Cong, Oz's own Robert "Bobby Knuckles" Whittaker in his light-heavyweight debut, King Green, Paddy Pimblett and Max Holloway. Result.

The Nagoya Basho is under way. Let's go, Hoshoryu! Also Tobizaru! Also Tamawashi...in the lower juryo division. Maybe the "Iron Man" can keep his incredible career record going a little longer down there.

In a different sort of weekend activity, joyriders left a thrashed, half-stripped car in the car park up the road. Not the best advertisement for this suburb. It was mostly gone this morning, save for a lone wheel.

I like Moss Monsters.

Assorted containers to catch the leaks

DOCO OF THE WEEK

Amazing talent, amazing life.

ALSO VIEWING: "The Sandman" S2, "Myth Hunters", "Better Late Than Single" S2.

To be brave, one must first be frightened

COMIC COVER OF THE WEEK

It's giving 16-bit JRPG final boss. By Matthew Waite. First time I'd heard his name. Hope he's not an A.I. guy.

SONG OF THE WEEK

"Feestje Op Min Graf" by The Opposites (Netherlands). If you were to party on a grave, this'd get it started :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GByPAwU-Wtk

Commended >>> "Here With Me" by KI/KI (also Netherlands), "Through The Beam" by Triggerfinger (Belgium), "Someday, Somewhere" by Jungle (UK) with its killer dance routine, and "Energy" by Sane Wav (Zimbabwe). Additionally, I'm a month late on two bangers - "Suave" by Akriila (Chile) feat. Jane Remover (US) and "Where you @" by Margad (Mongolia). And, while the single didn't do much for me, the live performance of "Den Danske Sommer" by Tobias Rahim & Birthe Kjaer (Denmark x2) in front of a rapturous audience at the Roskilde Festival was lovely.

GAMING MAG OF THE WEEK

Issue #8. Inhaled every word in a couple of sittings. Thanks, SC.

ANIME REDUX DEBUT

It's back, baby! With classic-feel characters, janky retro tech, a little wackiness, ace intro/outro and no time to over-explain.

PODCAST OF THE WEEK

13 episodes. Examines its subject from every angle, in an organically rambling fashion. Biggest takeaway: almost all nice people.

Gohan / mifan

"Miniature Masters"! Episode 1 of a new reality contest centred on minis. Painting, basing, kit-bashing, even sculpting. Contestants from various countries (including a fella from Oz). The celeb judges are legit. One has 27 Golden Demons and two Slayer Swords! The supply room is awesomely well stocked - a painter's dream. Based on the unique works produced in this opener, and both the insightful remarks and game-related decisions made by the organisers, I have high hopes for the rest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5z5FIN9F7o

In other news, congrats to the male Blues on repeating the success of their female counterparts back in May. Cleary has nothing left to prove in the rugby-league arena (if he even did before). Daley should retire as coach on this huge positive. Suck eggs, Maroons.

Scramble D

Rock-solid release. The story is underrated and, indeed, somewhat revolutionary for "Who" in '66. Simplistic animated movement, but the likenesses are fine and it's the real audio. Lengthy documentaries "Innes Lloyd: The Producer" and "Remembering Forgetting 'The Savages'" are worth the price on their own!

These crunchfords are grouse - chickeny, herby and slightly citrusy.

This Thai brew's OK. Goes down easy. Goes with crisps and vintage scifi!

Respectable / disgraceful

Well done to the Aussie ladies on winning cricket's T20 World Cup! Undefeated from the warm-up games to the final. Veteran campaigners Mooney, Molineux, Perry and Gardner all stood up.

As for the football version of the W/C...that player reinstatement, allegedly after political pressure (and more sycophancy), undermines the integrity of the whole tournament. Appalling.

Vacuum fluorescent display

I studied traditional karate for about four years in my youth, during which time I had three official teachers (as opposed to higher-ranked students just filling in for a night). 

The first was an ex-cop who ran a security business. He'd undergone an old-school "40-man fight" to earn his black belt and had the bloody photos to prove it. He'd also done his share of brick and board breaking over the years. Occasionally, we would be treated to a wild, violent story from his days walking the beat in a rough 'hood.

The second you might have picked as a surfer, with his longish hair and laid-back demeanour. I suppose, looking back, that he was just one of life's natural athletes, because in addition to being a martial-arts instructor, he was a star in the local footy team. Not that he mentioned it. I was only aware from attending the odd game with pals.

The third had a hot girlfriend who did karate as well, a pet Rottweiler strangers weren't allowed to pat and wicked tattoos that included - if memory serves - a grinning goblin holding a curved dagger. He seemed a nice guy, though. Good sense of humour and, since he didn't drive himself, always appreciative of lifts to and from training.

There was sort of a fourth teacher emerging as I drifted away from the sport/art. This bloke had rapidly risen through the belts, asked questions about our techniques and did heaps of extra training outside of class. A friend and fellow student was (un)lucky enough to live close to him, and the guy would come over to my mate's place and badger him into going for a run up and down a nearby mountain.

I guess he knew that to make it to the top, you gotta make it to the top!

Hallucination nation

Sister EM is flying in this afternoon to stay with us for a few days. Yay!

--

COMIC COVER OF THE WEEK

By Daniel Warren Johnson, from "Do A Power Bomb B&W #1". Except this is a Diving Crossbody, not a P/B :-) The way he's captured the height/movement, the inherent danger and the anticipation of the crowd/oppo are [chef's kiss].

SONG OF THE WEEK

"Throne Of Thorns" by Stryper (US).

Apparently they are still going. Christian metal was big in the coastal community where I grew up as a teen, especially among Baptist kids, but I never got into it. Anyway, I just like this track. The guitar solo was what won it for them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THfZyX9L0qo

Commended >>> "Fireflies" Game Boy cover by Soundbites (US), "Saet Det Fri" by Malte Ebert (Denmark).

GAMEBOOK REREADS OF THE WEEK

* "CYOA #104 - The Cobra Connection": <Died/failed once before beating.> Ludicrous premise, as they so often were, where your parents allow you to go on a trip with your uncle's business partner. Rad meta ending that suggests YOU wrote the gamebook because peeps didn't believe your claims. Time-travel software!

* "EQ #14 - Raid On Nightmare Castle": <Died/failed once before beating.> There's an elf named Estragon, though no Vladimir that I could find. Would a crystal gong actually work? Should it even still be referred to as a gong? The interior illos by Jim Holloway made me feel right at home. Honestly, the prose was decent.

* "FF #14 - Temple Of Terror": <Died/failed four times before beating.> Typical Livo collect-'em-up - multiple artifacts to gather, multiple spells from which to choose, multiple items that may be purchased. Setting was very Conan. Fights were tough, e.g. the 10/20 Sand Worm. Internal art average at best. Abrupt conclusion. 

DOCO OF THE WEEK

Arty Anton Corbijn doco from 2022 about a pair of chancers - one flexible and dedicated, one difficult and visionary - who, thanks to a lucky break, ended up creating some of the most iconic album covers of all time. Beyond the famous talking heads and amusing anecdotes, and deets of the colourful supporting cast who came to join Hipgnosis, it's ultimately a very personal, moving tale.

PODCAST RELISTEN* OF THE WEEK

*In its entirety!

Unusual for me give any pod a second listen. The only example that springs to mind is selected early eps of "The Grognard Files".