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Major Spoilers Comic Book PodcastHeists, Horrors, and Haunted ArchivesSupernatural hits comics, Godzilla stomps through Kansas City, and Circus Maximus brings ancient Rome to life — plus, the crew names their favorite heist movies before diving deep into Creepy Archives Vol. 11. From gothic horror to 8mm ads, this one's creepy, classy, and classic Major Spoilers. Show your thanks to Major Spoilers for this episode by becoming a Major Spoilers Patron at http://patreon.com/MajorSpoilers. It will help ensure the Major Spoilers Podcast continues far into the future! Join our Discord server and chat with fellow Spoilerites! (https://discord.gg/jWF9BbF) REVIEWS STEPHEN GODZILLA VS. AMERICA: KA...
2025-10-2950 min
Film Talk With AJ DeanFilm Talk With AJ Dean Bruce Merrin Episode 104
Film Talk With AJ Dean Presents, a Special VIP Guest interview with Bruce Merrin of Bruce Merrin's Celebrity Speakers and Bruce Merrin's Public Relations & Advertising. Special thank you and acknowledgment to Ninon de Vere De Rosa for introducing us to Bruce! Special shout out to Mocha, Fran Drescher, Marie Osmond, Kimberly Skyrme, Patti Price, Michael Landon, Elvis, Johnny Carson, Ed McMahon, Michael Jordon, The Flamingo Hotel, Sammy Davis Junior, Lena Horn, Librace, Ella Fitz Gerald, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, The Sands Hotel, Bruce's Mom, UCLA, MGM Studio, Steve Jobs, Jackie Robinson, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Mohammed Ali, General...
2023-12-061h 04
The Critical SpectrumMatt Plays Fortnite and Talks About His DreamsThis week, Matt regales the boys about his dream journal. Meanwhile, Matt plays Fortnite the entire episode because his friend playfully dissed him and he's bitter because of it. Also, they all talk about movies.
Check out Matt's friend on Twitch: GanwhoTwitch
Donate to Point of Pride, providing life-saving health and wellness to the Trans community!
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Matthew's written work: Sakura Sunrise and Sakura Shuffle
2022-08-171h 11The Critical SpectrumThe Cyberpunk Anime & Other News From AnimeExpoApologies for the audio problems. You'd think four years of radio would have given Matt the ability to not have the podcast sound like ass but guess not.
This week, the boys talk about Cyberpunk Edgerunners and more from Trigger's panel at AnimeExpo. Later on, they talk about the game design of the Souls games and if they'd be as beloved without the wiki.
ANN Trigger Panel Coverage: Trigger 10 Year Anniversary & Announcement Panel
Matt's Assassin's Creed Article: Assassin's Creed: Why the Assassins Suck At Their Jobs
Donate to Point of Pride...
2022-07-111h 08
The Critical SpectrumMatt's Friends Won't Listen to AJR, and Other ConundrumsThis week, the gang talks about people getting into AJR thanks to TikTok, Morbius' disastrous rerelease, Matt's recent comic book reads, and more!
Donate to Point of Pride, providing life-saving health and wellness to the Trans community!
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Matthew's written work: sakurasunrise.blog, and sakurashuffle.wordpress.com
2022-06-131h 52The Critical SpectrumDoctor Strange, Moon Knight, and Politics (Somehow)Colin had whisky samples, so the whole gang decided to try them while having a totally normal discussion about Multiverse of Madness and Moon Knight. However once the alcohol started to kick in, the boys turned their attention to world affairs.
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Matthew's written work: sakurasunrise.blog, and sakurashuffle.wordpress.com
2022-05-281h 47The Critical SpectrumThe Gang Gets Evil? Our Villain ThemesMatt wanted to pose the question of what the gang's theme song would be if they were the villain in a story. The choices ranged from bangers to some headscratchers, but no one will deny that these villains are still better than 90% of MCU antagonists.
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Matthew's written work: sakurasunrise.blog, whoaanime.com, and sakurashuffle.wordpress.com
2022-04-291h 35The Critical SpectrumThor: Love And Thunder Looks Delightful. Plus, Elden Ring Lore & MoreThis week, the gang gets hyped for Taika Waititi's next film. That's right, Matt likes the MCU again this week. Then, they decide they need to watch more movies together, talk about Elden Ring's lore, and ponder the bathing tendencies of heterosexual men.
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Matthew's written work: sakurasunrise.blog, whoaanime.com, and sakurashuffle.wordpress.com
2022-04-221h 05The Critical SpectrumA24 Makes Matt Think About Life (& Hate The MCU)This week, Colin gushes about Lego Star Wars while Matthew despairs the state of cinema after watching Everything Everywhere All At Once by Daniels.
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Matthew's written work: sakurasunrise.blog, whoaanime.com, and sakurashuffle.wordpress.com
2022-04-171h 05The Critical SpectrumThe Return of The Critical Spectrum!The gang is back after an eight-month hiatus and they're here to blitz through what they missed while they were gone, explain their absence, and get straight back to shooting the shit like always.
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Matthew's written work: sakurasunrise.blog, whoaanime.com, and sakurashuffle.wordpress.com
2022-04-071h 23
Rabbitt Stew ComicsEpisode 327Comic Reviews: DC Wonder Woman: Black and Gold 6 by Christos Gage, Michael Conrad, Sheena Howard, Liam Sharp, Marguerite Sauvage, Kevin Maguire, Jamal Campbell, Noah Bailey, Adriano Lucas Marvel Black Panther 1 by John Ridley, Juann Cabal, Federico Blee Hulk 1 by Donny Cates, Ryan Ottley, Frank Martin Hawkeye: Kate Bishop 1 by Marieke Nijkamp, Enid Balam, Oren Junior, Brittany Peer Star Wars: Life Day 1 by Cavan Scott, Ivan Fiorelli, Chris Sotomayor, Ariana Maher, Justina Ireland, Georges Jeanty, Victor Olazaba, Pete Pantazis, Steve Orlando, Paul Fry, Alex Sinclair, Jody Houser, Kei Zama, Ruth Redmon X-Force Killshot Anniversary Special 1 by Rob Liefeld, Chad...
2021-11-252h 58The Critical SpectrumBlack Widow & Loki! An MCU Double Feature!00:00 | A Review of Black Widow
38:40 | A Review of Loki
Black Widow came out and Loki finished its (first) season. Which is the superior product? I don't know, it's not a competition. They're practically different genres. The guys are just here to tell you if they're worth watching or not. Sorry, I didn't mean to lash out. The first half of the episode was lost. Crazy shit happened. Matt came out as bisexual, Michael and Colin got into a fierce debate about abortion, and then DJ Jazzy Josh had a knife fight with Alex From The...
2021-07-261h 00The Critical SpectrumFinally, A Star Wars Anime! Plus, Assassin's Creed Infinit(e disappointment)00:00 | Star Wars Visions
01:02:42 | The Nintendo Switch OLED Model with Mike "The Merc" Murguia
01:07:53 | Assassin's Creed Infinity
Star Wars is getting an anime from 9 directors at seven renowned studios in Japan and Matt has all of the details. Then, we call totally-not-host-on-vacation Mike "The Merc" Murguia to talk about the new Switch, before talking about the death (or rebirth?) of Assassin's Creed.
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Matthew's written work: sakurasunrise.blog, animequarterly.com, and sakurashuffle.wordpress.com
2021-07-191h 32The Critical SpectrumAds INSIDE Games, Amazon's New MMO, and Much More!00:00 | Missed opportunities for jokes and a discussion of rap names
5:58 | Evangelion 3.0+1.01 coming to Amazon internationally
31:05 | EA wants to put ads in games
01:01:31 | Amazon Games' New World
We brought resident Warhammer expert Alex Stanczik back just for fun to discuss a whole bunch of random crap, including but not limited to EA continuing to pull their usual schemes, Amazon bringing the long-awaited Evangelion sequel to their service, and Amazon Games creating a new MMO.
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Matthew's written...
2021-07-051h 24The Critical Spectrum"Vegans Shouldn't Drive?"; The Gang Shoots The Shit (Vol. 2)The gang didn't have a set topic, so instead, they rambled about VR technology, music, Matthew's sex life, and Colin's hot takes about veganism. All this and more on a very special (and very stupid) episode.
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Matthew's written work: sakurasunrise.blog, animequarterly.com, and sakurashuffle.wordpress.com
2021-06-281h 18The Critical SpectrumDid E3 Actually Suck? (No, Actually)1:20 | Nonsense
9:09 | E3
01:18:00 | Netflix Geeked Week
E3 happened, and while some have been quick to call it a disappointment, the boys found themselves quite impressed upon further inspection. Also, Matt runs down a list of the crazy number of Netflix announcements from Netflix Geeked Week.
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Matthew's written work: sakurasunrise.blog, animequarterly.com, and sakurashuffle.wordpress.com
2021-06-211h 41The Critical SpectrumMichael HATES Nvidia & Zack Snyder Can't Stop Winning00:00 | Michael Rants about Nvidia
28:20 | Army of the Dead Review
01:37:00 | Does Matt think Michael will like Death Stranding?
Michael had some words about Nvidia's business practices in light of the scalping problem in the electronics industry. Then, the gang reviews Army of the Dead, before Michael throws a curveball and asks Matt if he would actually recommend Death Stranding. It's the gift that keeps on giving this week.
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Matthew's written work: sakurasunrise.blog & animequarterly.com
2021-06-071h 53The Critical SpectrumEA Screwed Colin Over, & We All Played the Scarlet Nexus Demo00:00 | Absolute nonsense
07:06 | EA sucks
34:40 | We loved the Scarlet Nexus demo
In the most strangely fatigued episode yet, the boys rant about EA and Colin's inability to play their multiplayer games. Then, they go in-depth about Scarlet Nexus after playing the demo released recently on Xbox. In-between all of that, they talk about dumb shit. Only the best for our fans here on our landmark 20th episode.
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Matthew's written work: sakurasunrise.blog & animequarterly.com
2021-05-311h 11The Critical SpectrumAssassin's Creed Sinks While Castlevania Soars!00:00 | In loving memory of John "TotalBiscuit" Bain
04:50 | Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Wrath of the Druids
54:40 | Matt reviews "I Think Our Son Is Gay" by Okura
01:07:46 | Castlevania Season 4
Matt's review of Castlevania Season 4
Castlevania Season 4's Sakugabooru Page!
Although Michael was worried he wouldn't have much to say in this episode, he had quite a lot to share when the boys decided to talk about Assassin's Creed. Between that, Matt's manga review, a review of Castlevania's final season, and some timely memorials of some talented gentlemen taken far too...
2021-05-241h 54The Critical SpectrumVenom 2 is Bringing the Carnage, Scott Pilgrim Stays Winning, and Warhammer!00:00 | Our thoughts on the Venom 2 trailer
42:40 | Culture Corner: Scott Pilgrim vs The World
01:35:55 | Some small news, and Alex talks about Warhammer
Andy Serkis is directing the second Venom movie and it looks... interesting? The guys discuss the trailer in detail and share their hype levels on a scale of 1 Mrs. Chen to 10 Mrs. Chens. Next, the gang discusses Scott Pilgrim vs The World after its theatrical rerelease and then they round out the show with a discussion of news and the Warhammer series with special guest Alex Stanczik.
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2021-05-171h 54The Critical SpectrumMortal Kombat? More Like Mortal KomBAD... Also, A Review of Yasuke!00:00 | Apex Legends' new mode is great!
15:40 | Mortal Kombat... not so much
54:40 | Netflix's Yasuke is... something
Last week it was nothing but praise. This week, the universe balanced things out with two topics that weren't quite what the gang was hoping for. But first, Matt starts off positive, discussing Apex Legends and the brand new Arena mode. Then, the boys review Mortal Kombat and Yasuke alongside "Friend of the Show," Josh Mrowca (DJ Jazzy Josh as they call him).
Matt's show recommendations based on Yasuke:
Dororo (Streaming on Amazon Prime...
2021-05-101h 42The Critical SpectrumThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier Makes Us Believe Again! Plus, the Demon Slayer Movie Slays!00:00 | Demon Slayer The Movie
55:30 | We talk about random crap
01:09:26 | Falcon and the Winter Soldier Series Review
The boys were gonna watch Mortal Kombat, but Matt and Michael didn't watch it. Instead, the gang discusses the Demon Slayer Movie. In the second half, they gush about one of the MCU's best and most important stories in years!
Matt's Demon Slayer Review: Is the Demon Slayer Movie Worth All the Broken Records?
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Matthew's written work: sakurasunrise.blog & animequarterly.com
2021-05-032h 07The Critical SpectrumNetflix News & The Gayest, Greatest Anime Film in Ages00:00 | Netflix's new releases
49:45 | Culture Corner: Promare (2019)
This week, the gang discusses the next coolest things coming to Netflix, including Studio MAPPA's Yasuke, Jordan Vogt Robert's live-action Gundam, and the fourth and final season of Castlevania, among others. Then, the boys talk about Promare, an action-packed (and appreciably queer-coded) animated film from the makers of Gurren Lagann and Kill la Kill.
Castlevania Season 4 poster & teaser
Promare Articles:
The Shape of Queer Liberation: On the Geometry of Promare
Are Promare and The Lighthouse 'Queer Cinema'?
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2021-04-191h 47The Critical SpectrumAJR's New Album Rocks and Marvel's 2021 Lineup Has Us Worried00:00:00 | AJR's OK Orchestra
01:13:00 | Marve's 2021 Lineup
OK Orchestra was so good that we changed things up and decided to do an album review. Then, we talk about Marvel's The Eternals and Shang Chi because they are both coming out this fall and yet we know jack shit about them. All this and more on our very first studio-recorded episode of The Critical Spectrum!
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Matthew's written work: sakurasunrise.blog & animequarterly.com
2021-04-121h 52The Critical SpectrumThe Snyder Cut and Falcon and the Winter Soldier00:00:00 | The Snyder Cut Review
01:16:02 | Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Episodes 1 & 2
The gang finally discusses The Snyder Cut and opinions are mixed, but either way, Colin is gonna complain about fictional cities not being relatable enough (jk we love you, bro). Then, we all universally agree that Falcon and the Winter soldier is pretty based so far.
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Matthew's written work: sakurasunrise.blog & animequarterly.com
2021-04-051h 58The Critical SpectrumThe Gang Shoots the Sh%#, Vol. 1We didn't have a chance to watch the Snyder Cut and we recorded this before the first episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier came out, so we decided to just sit back and have a more relaxed episode. What resulted was one of the least relaxing, mentally taxing episodes yet.
Anti-Asian Violence Resources: https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co/
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Matthew's written work: sakurasunrise.blog & animequarterly.com
2021-03-221h 14The Critical SpectrumXbox in Bed With Bethesda and Pacific Rim: The Black00:00 | Xbox's deal with Bethesda
38:19 | Colin and Matt review Pacific Rim: The Black
Xbox might actually be getting exclusives and the gang discusses it while Matthew continues to be the most respectful Sony fan in the console wars. Then, Colin and Matt discuss Polygon Pictures' Pacific Rim: The Black, a Netflix Original that might just be able to get this struggling franchise on its feet.
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Matthew's written work: sakurasunrise.blog & animequarterly.com
2021-03-151h 08The Critical SpectrumWandaVision is Shit?! Also, Video Game Remasters & Movies00:00 | The Trouble with Video Game Remasters
34:17 | The (Larger) Trouble with Video Game Movies
1:07:17 | WandaVision has ended and the boys have... words... to say about it
Through the miracle of time travel (and working around scheduling conflicts), the boys give their final thoughts on Marvel's first Disney+ series, WandaVision. Before that though, the gang decides to talk about video games. Specifically, the issues with the overabundance of game remasters and the problems with video game movies.
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Matthew's written work: sakurasunrise.blog & animequarterly.com
2021-03-082h 01The Critical SpectrumWhat's the Deal with DLC? (Starring Overwatch 2) Also, Pokemon!00:00 | Overwatch 2 (and a larger discussion of microtransactions and DLC)
36:22 | The gang discusses Pokemon while Matthew is present
01:22:34 | Matt has some questions loosely tied to news he thought was interesting
01:41:44 | WandaVision's new episode was great and everyone who thought otherwise is wrong
Overwatch 2 is coming out and we continue to ask "why?" while discussing the merits of microtransactions and paid DLC. Then, they go to a happier place and talk about Pokemon. Matt has a couple of questions for the gang based on some recent news. Finally, they talk about WandaVision and...
2021-03-012h 03The Critical SpectrumScalping Should Be Illegal. Also, Falcon and the Winter Soldier00:00 | Scalping
25:52 | Falcon and the Winter Soldier
50:00 | [Spoilers] WandaVision episodes 6 & 7
This week, I try to see if y'all really are avoiding episodes with WandaVision in the title. But first, we talk about terrible people who scalp PS5s and Xbox Series Xs. Then, after a heated argument that got trimmed down, we discuss Falcon and the Winter soldier and the newest episodes of WandaVision.
GOTCHA! - A Pokemon Special Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoZ0Zwab6Oc
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Matthew's written work...
2021-02-221h 37The Critical SpectrumGodzilla vs Kong, Netflix Originals, & THAT WandaVision Moment00:00 | Godzilla vs Kong
42:52 | Pacific Rim: The Black & Netflix Originals
1:18:00 | [Spoiler Alert] WandaVision is incredible
The gang jumps into the Godzilla vs Kong debate because no one is safe. Then, they discuss the new Pacific Rim animated series and ponder why Netflix's content feels so manufactured. Finally, they can't resist talking about WandaVision once more because goodness gracious that cliffhanger.
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Matthew's written work: sakurasunrise.blog & animequarterly.com
Hear Matt and Colin play D&D on twitch, occasionally on Tuesdays at 5:30 PM CST: twitch...
2021-02-081h 56The Critical SpectrumGameStonks, The Reddit Odyssey! Also, Movie News & Culture Corner!00:00 | GameStonks
34:06 | Warner Bros. 2021 Lineup and other movie news
1:17:00 | [SPOILERS?] A brief discussion of WandaVision
1:20:00 | Culture Corner - Scooby-Doo Zombie Island & Dragonball Evolution
The gang tackles the insane stock market news of the past week. Then, they talk about the surprising number of interesting movies coming out in 2021 and then discuss Scooby-Doo and a terrible Dragonball adaptation in the Critical Spectrum's very first Culture Corner.
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Matthew's written work: sakurasunrise.blog & animequarterly.com
Hear Matt and Colin play D&D on twitch...
2021-02-012h 05The Critical SpectrumThe Winter Anime Season & A Batman Animated Series Revival?!00:00 | Disclaimer
01:49 | The gang rants about a news story that was false
26:55 | Matt's Winter 2021 anime recommendations
42:12 | Batman The Animated Series is coming back?
In a jam-packed episode, the gang talks about a story that was immediately invalidated an hour after recording, as well as anime and Batman. So overall, pretty fun.
Matt's article on Winter anime recommendations: https://www.animequarterly.com/winter-anime-top-3-new-releases/
Matt's long-lost Modern Warfare Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrfyeR6eRCE
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Matthew's written work: s...
2021-01-251h 47The Critical SpectrumWanda/Vision is a hit! Also, Lucasfilm Games & DC Future State00:00 | Lucasfilm Games
24:17 | DC Future State
47:27 | [SPOILERS] Wanda/Vision episodes 1 & 2
The first two episodes of Wanda/Vision are out and the gang is loving it! But first, they'll talk about EA no longer holding Star Wars by the balls and DC's ambitious new event, Future State.
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Matthew's written work: sakurasunrise.blog & animequarterly.com
Hear Matt and Colin play D&D on twitch, occasionally on Tuesdays at 5:30 PM CST: twitch.tv/bigboibenjiboi
2021-01-181h 30The Critical SpectrumNieR: Automata's Final Secret, Call of the Sea, and the Future of the MCU00:00:00 | Call of the Sea
00:17:51 | NieR: Automata's final secret uncovered
00:33:13 | The Future of the MCU
This week the gang discusses a cheat code that took three years to find, a new puzzle game for lovers of adventure, and everyone's favorite superhero universe.
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Matthew's written work: sakurasunrise.blog & animequarterly.com
Hear Matt and Colin play D&D on twitch, occasionally on Tuesdays at 5:30 PM CST: twitch.tv/bigboibenjiboi
2021-01-111h 47The Critical SpectrumIs WW84 Worth It? Also, Our Best of 2020 Picks!00:00:00 | Wonder Woman 1984 Review
00:49:00 | The Best (Of What We Could Find) Of 2020
This week, the gang discusses Wonder Woman 1984 released in theaters and on HBOMax to mixed reception. Does it hold a candle to the first film or was it another DC misfire? Then, we discuss our favorite media from a year most would rather forget.
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Matthew's written work: sakurasunrise.blog & animequarterly.com
Hear Matt and Colin play D&D on twitch, occasionally on Tuesdays at 5:30 PM CST: twitch.tv/bigboibenjiboi
2021-01-041h 31The Critical Spectrum[SPOILERS] Mandalorian Season 2 Ends & Cyberpunk 2077 Sucks?00:00:00 - Mandalorian Season 2 finale and thoughts on series
01:03:50 (approximately) - Cyberpunk 2077
In the first episode of The Critical Spectrum, Michael, Frank, Colin, and Matt spoil the end of Mandalorian Season 2 and talk about how they are unabashedly in love with the series again. Then, the gang discusses their drastically different experiences playing Cyberpunk 2077 and whether or not the game is worth your precious time.
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Matthew's written work: sakurasunrise.blog & animequarterly.com
Hear Matt and Colin play D&D on twitch, occasionally on Tuesdays at 5:30...
2020-12-212h 01
Rabbitt Stew ComicsEpisode 273DC Feb Solicits Comics Reviews: Dark Nights: Death Metal - Infinite Hour Exxxtreme by Becky Cloonan, Sam Humphries, Frank Tieri, Rags Morales, Tyler Kirkham, Denys Cowan, Bill Sienkiewicz, Chris Sotomayor, Andrew Dalhouse, Arif Prianto Punchline 1 by James Tynion IV, Sam Johns, Mirka Andolfo, Antonio Fajardo Jr. Teen Titans Go: Roll With It by Heather Nuhfer, P.C. Morissey, Agnes Garbowska, Sandy Jarrell Taskmaster 1 by Jed MacKay, Alessandro Vitti, Guru eFX Kick-Ass vs. Hit-Girl 1 by Steve Niles, Marcelo Frusin, Scarenthood 1 by Nick Roche, Chris O'Halloran Resident Alien: Your Ride's Here 1 by Peter Hogan, Steve Parkhouse Power Rangers 1 b...
2020-11-151h 53