Batman Day 2023

It’s the third Saturday in September, and you know what that means! Here’s wishing you a dark and vengeful Batman Day… now go out and support your local comic shop!

Friday Night Videos presents… Jackson C. Frank, “My Name Is Carnival”

Jackson C. Frank is cited as a major influence by many singer-songwriters, but only released one studio album in his life. Shortly after the album was released, mental health issues stemming from childhood trauma became more than he could bear. Frank was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and protracted depression, which went untreated. Frank’s mental health continued to unravel, and he was eventually found sleeping on a New York City sidewalk, where he lived when he was not in one of the many psychiatric institutions to which he was admitted over the years. Frank died in 1999, homeless and destitute.

Frank’s fate was not how his story should have ended. Treatment is available for those in need. Click the link below to visit the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Early Serious Mental Illness Treatment Locator, a confidential and anonymous source of information for those seeking treatment in the United States or U.S. Territories for a recent onset of serious mental illnesses such as psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, etc. These evidence-based programs provide medication, therapy, family/peer support, and assistance with education, employment, and other services. If you need help, please reach out. You do not have to go through this alone. Help is closer than you think.

In Memoriam: Kevin Conroy

Batman is my favorite superhero, and Kevin Conroy’s is the only voice I ever cared about hearing when Batman spoke. Over the last thirty years, people around the world came to realize what fans of the DC animated universe learned back in 1992: Kevin Conroy’s Batman and Bruce Wayne are quite simply the finest interpretations of those characters ever filmed. Kevin Conroy, more than any actor before or since, understood what made Batman loveable, what made him scary, and what made him human. We loved him when he was kicking ass, but we loved him even more in his moments of weakness, when he was being suffocated by the doubts and pains of a life of violence and grief and, ultimately, hope. When a new Batman animation or video game was revealed, the first thing I listened to was the voice. If it wasn’t Kevin Conroy, I lost a lot of interest. As a late comer to the Arkham games, I put the Arkham Asylum disc into the console with skepticism. Then, to my shock, I heard Kevin’s voice on my television. The next day I went back to the store and bought the entire Arkham series. THAT is how much Kevin Conroy brought to this role. Many actors have played the Dark Knight, both before and after. And some were quite good. But I sincerely doubt that I will live to see another actor surpass him. Today we lost a legend.

Kevin Conroy, November 30, 1955 – November 10, 2022

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Chris versus “DC versus Marvel,” Part Three!

At the end of our last DC versus Marvel article I told you I would give you an in depth review of Amalgam Comics and the conclusion to the big DC/Marvel crossover. But I warned you that I was tired and it would be a “long damn while.” Well, that was sixteen years ago. I’m all rested up now. What do you say we finish this thing? And this time, you can read each comic in its entirety. Progress!

WHO WILL WIN? YOU DECIDE!

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