Ricky Jackson

In my experience, a ton of people have Facebook accounts that either dont or barely use them. The rare time I use the app it's pretty much just my boomer friends/family posting stuff anymore

Ok, since i brought up my rejuvenated comics fandom in the Conrad thread i thought I'd update what I've been reading the last five months or so. -70s Marvel, and some DC, has been my main focus: Really loved Starlin's Captain Marvel and Warlock. Starlin was definitely one of the best Marvel artists of the 70s. It helped that he worked on low selling, bimonthly books where he could take his time and do whatever he wanted with characters that were low priority I've always been a huge Kirby fan, so his 70s work has been another focus. Jimmy Olsen was fun and full of energy and craziness. I think I preferred the Demon though. I just really dig the character. I've been holding off on Kamandi and his return to Marvel stuff, waiting for the right mood to strike. Read the illustrated bio by Tom Scioli that came out a few months back. Really great and highly recommended. -Speaking of Scioli, his Fantastic Four: Grand Design is really awesome. X Men: Grand Design by Ed Piskor is also good. A hardcore X Men fan, which I've never been, would probably hold it in higher regard. Been on a bit of a FF kick in general. Also read World's Greatest Comic Magazine from 2001 (12 issue series that coincided with the 40th anniversary of FF #1, meant to be the wrap up of the Lee-Kirby run if the two had planned on a finale, instead of Kirby leaving for DC in the middle of a storyline) and Unstable Molecules from 2003, done in an indie style and actually really good. I'm also about 2 years into Hickman's run and also really enjoying it. Johnny's "death" was handled really well and I love how they used that storyline as a way to kickstart a new chapter in the history of the team, as they go beyond being the Fantastic Four and become something bigger. Hickman's FF is my jumping on point for trying to get into "modern" (10 + years old) Marvel. Just started Journey Into Mystery based on the recommendation of @Matt D Also trying out Mark Waid's Daredevil. As for "modern" DC, I gave the first volume of Scott Snyder's Swamp Thing from 2011 a whirl and it's pretty good. 70s and 80s Swampy is one of my all-time faves but this is first I've read of the character outside of that time frame. Also read vol 12 of Astro City (another all-time fave) and plan on finishing up the series when the titles become available digitally again. They were on Comixology and Kindle until a few months ago but have been removed. Rumours that Marvel may snag the rights. Also, going back to Scioli, tried out Godland from 2005 and it's pretty cool. It's done totally in the style of late-70s Kirby. -Back to 70s Marvel, I've read... Panther's Rage: Great art throughout, but McGregor's prose became so florid that I had to drop reading the text for the last few issues and just read the art. Still, a good story and much more ambitious than almost everything else coming out of Marvel at the time (Jungle Action 6-18) Englehart's Captain America (#s 153-186): In the end, I enjoyed the first arc about the return of the 50s Cap and Bucky more than the later, and far lengthier, Secret Empire arc. I've enjoyed Englehart's runs on Dr. Strange and Avengers (both not finished yet) more tbh Defenders has been a total blast. Just about to start Gerber's seminal run with #20. Speaking of Gerber, I've read about 75% of his Man-Thing and it's good, especially with Mike Ploog on art. I've also dipped my toes into Tomb of Dracula (#1-9) but haven't fully committed yet. Soon -Currently reading Darwyn Cooke's New Frontier from 2004 on Comixology and am loving it. So great. Love Silver Age DC Have a bunch of things planned for the future as far as reading goes. This is going to keep me busy for years. I love it. And yes, also listening to a shit ton of comics pods. I'll maybe post about those later

Yeah, count me among the longtime diehards whose fandom has dropped off a cliff in this cursed year. I'm down to visiting PWO and listening to one wrestling podcast (Greetings from Allentown). That's it. That's the extent of my fandom in 2020. I haven't watched a single match since late-August, and that was for a podcast appearance. I haven't watched a single match for my own enjoyment since the Stadium Stampede, so like the end of May? I retired from podcasting after 7 years, cancelled my WON sub, and stopped reading wrestling history books. My interest in wrestling is at its lowest ebb since around 2003-04. I'm pretty much done with the hobby and dont really care. I've gone back 100% to comics fandom, which I neglected for about a decade, and I'm absolutely loving it. Wrestling had dominated most of my free time for so long. It feels great to toss it aside and return to a hobby that I've loved for longer than wrestling. 2020 has just been a perfect storm I guess, with the the pandemic taking away crowds, and all the depressing #SpeakingOut news, coupled with finally hitting a wall with watching wrestling and podcasting. I'll probably return to the hobby eventually, I always do, but it's going to be at least a few years

Honestly, there wasn't a ton of NXT discussion here back when it was considered good. I remember being the lone voice offering comments many weeks

Someone forgot to make the monthly bribe I guess

All the best with the upcoming surgery from me as well, TTK

Tbh, even though I watched enough matches involving the team, I couldn't tell you for certain if Moss was the one with long hair or the one with short hair

No wonder I dont like WWE, I haven't smoked weed regularly in about a decade (and that was around the last time I watched Raw weekly)

Yeah, I thought it started with a few big matches, but I didnt want the truth to get in the way of a half assed joke

Has there ever been a more hilarious unintentionally ironic name for anything ever than a show that has never showcased a single match that would be considered a "main event", unless we're talking a D show from the 80s or something

This thread seems like a relic of a simpler time these days

RIP G.L.O.W https://www.f4wonline.com/news/netflix-cancels-glow-after-three-seasons-due-covid-19-321851 Was wondering if/when the 4th season was going to happen. Causality of the Covid era apparently

From what I remember from different accounts, Shane was pretty involved in at least putting the shows together with Vince and few other close inner circle members back in the pre-writer days when a lot of creative was done poolside at Vince's mansion or in hotels on the road. Not sure how involved he was from say 2000 onwards

Yeah, Meltzer gotcha obsessives on Twitter are among the most pathetic forms of life known to man

I thought Pritchard returned to the fold at most only a couple years back, well after his podcast took off, no?

So who is in charge of Smackdown these days?

I don't watch the shows but have been following the development of this angle here, so I have a few questions. So what is the story supposed to be? That they are completely new wrestlers, like an old school gimmick change, a la IRS or Repo Man? Or are they just their old characters in new identities? I'm supposing the former because they didn't "have contracts" until last night. Or is this just typical WWE who gives a fuck if it makes sense storytelling?

It's a really good account of his early years growing up in Canada and breaking into wrestling for sure. I remember it being kinda rushed when recapping the bulk of his career though

I know. He always comes off as a troll, including on here years back, where I remember him dying on the hill of some long forgotten WWE b-show he basically declared anyone not liking a loser, and then being banned shortly after. His books are always highly praised though. I read "Shooters" and liked it at the time, but that was before he went full asshole on here. His Shamrock bio was being praised as one of the best wrestler/fighter bios ever written by Meltzer

Blair was clearly the worker of the team while Brunzell was just a one trick, dropkick-throwing spot monkey

That's amazing

Plus Sasha and Bayley spent time on the indies and would've called it in the ring then

Don't want to ruin bubba's joy, but how many million THIS IS GOING TO BE WHEN THEY FINALLY DO THINGS RIGHT moments have been declared in the last decade and then nothing happens

Thanks guys. Glad you enjoyed it over the years

I don't think you've missed much. I gave up months ago. As soon they settled into the permanent schedule of alternating between 2010s WWE and Ask Arn Anything the show died. Total waste of Arn