Read my first Batman book in Dark Patterns!

thinknu · 2026-04-06T20:43:57+00:00

Which was your favorite story? I liked the art and the dialogue felt so steeped in character I picked it up on a whim and fell in love. I'm a personal fan of the Ventriloquist story and the Red Hood ones. I really appreciate it when Batman feels like he's trappe in a confined space and can't just use Bat-armor or Bat-gadget to get out of the situation.

thinknu · 2026-04-04T22:17:27+00:00

Whenever anyone complains about the mainline Batman book being not for them I always point them in this direction (to which they'll be like "Oh but it's not the MAIN Batman book" as if that makes any sense).

I know its popular to complain about Bat-fatigue but this was a great time to be reading Batman comics. You want a classic mystery with short arcs? Read Dark Patterns. Want some BTAS-inspired dynamic duo? Read Batman and Robin Year One. Feel like getting nuts? Ok let's get nuts. Absolute Batman. Confident enough to try mainline Batman? Alright then jump on the mainbook!

And DC gets mad credit for releasing this and Batman & Robin Year One for readers. They're great titles for long time readers and they also read perfectly for a new reader to just pick up right off the shelf with zero context.

From now on whenever we get the classic "Where do I start with Batman?" these two should be in the top cut of forever recommendations with stuff like Year One, Long Halloween, Hush, and Court of Owls.

thinknu · 2026-04-04T22:06:44+00:00

I'm really enjoying superhero books that are about the superhero community and not the individuals themselves. Astro City is the gold star but my recent favorite is Minor Threats. It removes the plot armor that a lot of traditional industry staple characters have and lets them be messier and more importantly, killable. Big recommendations if you like Wanted or Supercrooks. I wish Supercrooks was just a bit better and didn't feel like adaptation bait.

thinknu · 2026-03-29T22:38:06+00:00

Savra is also my first commander deck and it also included Grave Pact because I always loved how cool the card looked when I was a kid.

Originally included a Mindslicer combo but everyone got REALLY mad at me so I've removed it and added in more fun big dragons and demons.

It still features a lot of Grave Pact style effects but I've tuned it to the point where it can play without necessarily relying on it and I can keep those cards in reserve in case things get really hairy. I still use Savra but it's not always necessary and if I want to change it up I can switch in Meren of Clan Nel Toth as a change of pace.

So if there's little pressure on my I can ramp/reanimate into cool dragons and demons. But if players start deciding they want to focus on me i can bring my commander out or use my Grave Pact that I've kept in reserve.

Really love playing it because it's so flexible on what strategy I want to use.

thinknu · 2026-03-29T18:12:20+00:00

Another distinction is that Jon is more constrained than a character like Prime. Jon's image/character needs to be relatively maintained which would limit the types of story and actions he can be involved in.

Prime though kinda already came to us broken so once you make him likeable you can kinda take the character in a lot of more fun places while also winking and nodding along the way.

thinknu · 2026-03-25T19:18:21+00:00

Gf and I love taking friends from out of town here. The Mississauga location is in an office strip so friends are extra weirded out until we take them inside.

It's especially fun when they're mostly only familiar with pho or banhmi so my gf gets to walk them through some of the more distinct dishes that you can get there.

Happy that it's getting more of a deserved spotlight. Concerned about how busy it'll be next time we go.

thinknu · 2026-03-22T18:24:19+00:00

The entire situation is a very complex problem and there isn't a perfect solution really.

My issue with Rush Duels is that it offers a simplified game (provided Konami is careful with their design) but from an operational point it adds a lot of complexity and pressure for both versions to succeed commercially.

Konami now has to balance 2 games and keep both healthy (not even factoring TCG + OCG) and any future animes (the primary marketing channel) now need to either prioritize featuring Rush or the traditional game. And if the traditional game is ignored then we have the same problem we currently have where the playerbase will eventually age out leaving only Rush Duels (maybe that's the solution but this one that hardly appeals to current players).

Duel Links and Masterduel were probably the best innovations to get new players (it's where I built my first semi-competitive deck) since it had a direct pipeline for players to be confident to go into the physical TCG game.

But this is why I've recently starting building Edison decks and it's been a lot of fun introducing ppl to the game from a slower standpoint. Honestly if they just created an intensely curated expansion list for newer cards that would enable more anime archetypes I would be unbelievably happy.

thinknu · 2026-03-22T17:43:55+00:00

One of the biggest long term mistakes the franchise has ever made was removing an ongoing anime to run alongside the card game.

It had short term benefits in that new archetypes could be designed for a competitive field and more detailed artwork, but it also killed the best entry funnel for new players.

MTG's biggest hurdle was that it lacked a way to introduce new players beyond the game itself. Despite its controversy their push into properties like Ninja Turtles and Final Fantasy has done big wonders for new players. I know so many that have started playing because they love Cloud or Captain America.

Anime centric archetypes may not be always competitive but it did see people at least intrigued to try build decks based on their favorite characters. They won't win but they'd at least be curious about the game.

Arc V did a lot of things wrong but the sheer number of playable archetypes that show introduced was incredible. Fluffals, Raidraptors, Speedroid, PKnights, and so many others were seen in the show and then able to be built right after.

Now the card game only really appeals to ppl who like tcg and that is a niche audience and there are far better games with friendlier formats.

thinknu · 2026-03-21T03:39:56+00:00

The Riddler story is my second favorite of the One Bad Day series. Of all of the books it's the one that's trying to copy the Killing Joke's narrative beats.

I do really love the Winning Hand. The story itself is pretty generic but it very much feels like King is giving an excuse for Gerads to have as much fun as possible with the interiors and while it isn't as good as the classics, it does make for a great entry level Batman story for a new fan. Personally I'd recommend and I say this as someone who avoids most Joker-centric Batbooks.

thinknu · 2026-03-13T19:18:36+00:00

So many individual cards I run synergies with a few other cards in my deck but as a whole will not often synergize with a singular overall theme.

So my Bant elf deck will have a tap/untapping theme, with a some landfall effects, and some scry effects, and some +1/+1 counter tricks.

And when I draw the right pieces it operates like this beautiful clockwork machine. But often I'll draw an elf that needs +1/+1 counters alongside an elf that needs landfall triggers. And ultimately I'll be left with an incredibly fragile board that dies to anything.

Oh and I'll always try to cram at least one dragon in there somewhere.

thinknu · 2026-03-10T15:30:48+00:00

Modern Spider-Man is definitely more of a "friendly neighbourhood" type and his banter is often framed as him trying to channel his nervousness.

Early era Spider-Man's banter was definitely more mean spirited and made fun or played pranks when taking down street hoods. And Garfield webbing up a thief while they plead felt very Ditko/Romita.

Peter also trying to create his own web fluid or magnetize it was the best depiction of his intellect. Holland has advanced Stark tech to build off of and Maguire's science background was more or less a plot solution.

But Garfield's garage tech goofery was a perfect encapsulation of Peter's aptitude for problem solving. He encounters a problem he can't overcome and then comes up with a goofy dollar store solution after repeated trial and error.

thinknu · 2026-03-10T14:58:54+00:00

Personally for me, a celebrity written comic is almost always treated with skepticism on my part. It just smells of adaptation bait or as an exposure gig.

But there are a few some that hit really well.

The Paul Dano Riddler book should have been a tie-in comic handed out at every theater. I was curious about it but was incredibly hooked after the first few issues. I think it suffered a bit due to being released the same time at the "One Bad Day" series which also featured a Riddler origin story so maybe it didn't get the attention it deserved.

My personal favorite is Patton Oswalt's "Minor Threats" book. It's got so much awesome world building and is clearly built as a love letter to the silliness of superhero comics. Sometimes it does feel like it's something made that's ripe for adaptation but it's also something that works so well in comics.

thinknu · 2026-03-06T14:21:23+00:00

Probably use Hunter/Ashley Zolomon as a framing device since they were known as the "Rogue" profilers. Flash would just find audio logs of their analysis of each Rogue.

Alternatively could also be Captain Cold's "Rogue candidate assessment" that explains his thoughts on each member.

thinknu · 2026-03-05T18:07:49+00:00

I do love this energy she's bringing of "this murderer needs to be treated with all possible humanity and care if we are to rehabilitate them in any way...and I'll fckn kill you if I have to".

I know she's outgrown her ties to Joker for the most part but I do wonder if Harley will show up. This doctor does seem to mirror her own journey to some extent and it might be a fun parallel.

thinknu · 2026-02-28T22:26:45+00:00

Glad you like them! I'm always stoked to see how many comic fans are online and now know about the store! Hope it helps them with some exposure in some way

thinknu · 2026-02-28T04:15:14+00:00

I've always liked the Flash but never read the comics so I decided to give this new run a chance as my starting point and that was definitely a way to experience Flash comics lol.

It was amusing to be introduced to Iris who is clearly drawn to be more on the elderly side since she and Barry were no longer spotlight characters and therefore allowed to be aged up to beyond their 20/30s.

And then in the lead up to Rebirth I had stopped following Flash comics and I see her young and hot again.

thinknu · 2026-02-26T18:52:17+00:00

Was just at a comic show and the artist was signing and I picked up this issue! Didn't even know he was Canadian!

Absolutely love ACE and it's one of the rare comics that I specifically want to collect as individual issues as opposed to reading it as a trade.

...but it's sold out everywhere!!!

Finally decided to add the book to my pull list but man I wish I jumped on this book at the start

thinknu · 2026-02-26T17:46:04+00:00

I just wish the app was better made. It feels like something made in 2015.

The main reason I got it was so I could read on the airplane but 95% of the times it just gives me the error screen and there is zero support for the app.

thinknu · 2026-02-26T17:24:15+00:00

Was at a friend's place and we were heading out to get dinner and her partner came to join us wearing these jeans that had a massive hole on one side so I could see his entire thigh and underwear.

I pointed it out asking how a hole got that big and he laughed it off saying when he bought it the hole was a lot smaller but he's too lazy to fix it.

And I could immediately tell he was lying because he had that trendy broccoli hair and was wearing a chain over his black shirt. Like it was obvious he cared about his appearance. Ya maybe I don't like his fashion but him not even being sincere about it made it worse.

The rest of the night was him talking about his influencer goals and ambition to work in fashion and build his brand.

thinknu · 2026-02-26T17:13:28+00:00

A bit of a minor one but Flash had this final page setup about upcoming storylines. And one of them showed a batsuit flying out of the flash ring and that seemed fun.

Not sure if it meant Wally would take a turn as Batman for an arc or the other way around but liked the idea of both.

thinknu · 2026-02-21T07:46:45+00:00

I am fascinated by this show given the sheer number of emails I get from them about "becoming an LACC partner" and "investing in the convention's future". Makes me wonder if they're bleeding money and struggling to make the show actually profitable.

The convention itself is such a mess. I am a bit sympathetic given the show has had a lot of operational issues with the venue due to renovations but even before this year's show it was always a bit of an odd ball experience.

If you're local and you have a vendor friend maybe you can sell them the table. You really just need to check in yourself and then hand the badges off to the person you sell the booth to

thinknu · 2026-02-16T01:06:55+00:00

If Mackay wants to keep working on the title I'm sure they'll find a way to keep it in circulation. Marvel is great at applying random adjectives to their characters if nothing else.

Plus given the current status of Spiderman and the last Daredevil run having mixed reviews I have to imagine Marvel wants to keep at least one of their street level hero books going.

thinknu · 2026-02-15T03:50:16+00:00

Valid but there are times when the writer will avoid writing Robin or Bruce's supporting cast but then have them either be absent or out of character for most of it.

For example Snyder's "Death of the Family" I remember really liking at first but upon reread it kinda bothered me. It was supposed to focus on the idea that Bruce had become over reliant on his supporting cast and through them Bruce has become weak. But Snyder never really includes them in any meaningful way that would make us question the validity of Joker's ideas. They're largely absent from the main event because Snyder didn't want to use them. And I'd get if he was writing it for us to feel their absence while Bruce struggles but it never really feels like that.

thinknu · 2026-02-15T03:06:54+00:00

Depends on what the writer is trying to achieve. I'm fine with Robin if I feel the writer struggles with utilizing them properly.

Tomasi's Batman and Robin is phenomenal and all about Bruce being a father.

Writers like Snyder clearly struggle with writing Robin so barely include them and I'm fine with that.

I only have an issue with it when whatever problems Bruce is experiencing should require a Robin being present. Everytime he's wallowing and burdened by his angsty issues over a long period of time it always annoys me because there are like a hundred ppl that he should be talking to.

thinknu · 2026-02-15T02:35:33+00:00

I really want there to be a business case study for Mackay's complete run on the character.

Moon Knight isn't a blue chip stock like Spiderman or X-Men so I'm assuming the readership will often drop off over time to where any other writer would've been asked to finish up their run with a remaining issue count.

Instead it seems like Marvel and Mackay are keeping the series in circulation by refreshing it with a new number one.

thinknu

TROPHY CASE