Well, I wasn't fired.

But Rob Rogers, formerly an editorial cartoonist with The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, was fired from that paper for being critical of Trump and his Administration.

Rogers was an award-winning artist who has been with The Post-Gazette for 25 years. Up until recently, his cartoons would be published in the paper around five times every week.




However, according to Rogers, in March, a new Trump-supporting editor, Keith Burris, became the paper's editorial director. Afterwards, 19 of Rogers' cartoons and ideas were rejected. The picture above is an example of one of the rejected cartoons.

Rogers said, "the common theme in all the ones that have been rejected, I'd say 90% of them have something to do Trump."

This is distressing.

Editorial cartoonists are the court jesters of the news medium. They can say things that regular reporters can't in print. It is their job to provoke thought of our leaders. It's not their job to illustrate a publisher's politics.

During a time when a President is calling the news media "Our Country's biggest enemy," artists of all types should be supported, not fired for doing their jobs.

Be on the lookout for assaults to our freedom of expression. They could be the harbingers of worse-things to come.

Any reasonable comments are welcomed, even if they differ from my own.

JR

The best thing about driving in traffic from Vegas to LA (probably the only thing) is stopping at a small town just off of the I-15, and getting yourself some fresh alien jerky.

Seriously.

Alien Fresh Jerky is a shop located in Baker, California (the same town which is the home to the World's Largest Thermometer), and it's a convenience store selling refreshments for the weary traveler. You can't miss the place. There are plenty of signs along the highway for miles in either direction. I frequently drive from LA to Vegas and back (mostly for my day job), but I always stop in at this place.


You gotta be careful when parking your car. Little green aliens in an old Trans Am are trying to park their vehicle, and there are parking spots just for Aliens (prejudice is intergalactic, unfortunately).

Alien Fresh Jerky got started when the owners took a road trip to Area-51 in the late 1990's. Inspired, they started selling healthier snack alternatives for the road warrior. They originally offered nuts, trail mixes, dried fruit, stuffed olives, honey... and, of course, jerky.

Inside the shop, there's a lot of entertaining alien decorations. There's plenty of fun novelty souvenirs you can bring home, too.

And there's tons of jerky. There are plenty of different flavors, including Abducted Cow Teriyaki and BBQ on the Moon Beef. Don't ask me what the jerky is made from; could be dead aliens... or it could be abducted humans.


They also have invisible jerky. Supposedly, it's only edible at light speed. I hear it's tasty.

JR
(The truth is out there; but so are crazy drivers, so I'm staying inside)

Deadpool 2 opened in theatres this weekend, and no doubt it's going to be huge at the box office.

But how much do you really know about the Merc With A Mouth? You probably saw the first movie and maybe even read a few comics, but do you want to know more?

Yeah, sure... do a Google search and you'll find plenty of "25 Facts You Didn't Know" or "10 Things to Know" clickbait articles about Deadpool.

But will you find anything that says "7 Awesome Tidbits?" I highly doubt it.

Without further ado, here are some awesome tidbits...


Tidbit #1: The True Creation of Deadpool

Back in 1990, Deadpool creator, Rob Liefeld was drawing Marvel Comic's New Mutants. At the same time fellow creator and buddy, Todd McFarlane, was working on one of the Spider-Man titles.

According to Liefeld, he would get trash-talked by McFarlane. He would say, "Buddy, I feel bad for you. You have to draw seven characters with their faces and you have to line up their eyes and draw their hair. In the meantime, I get to draw Spider-Man. So I draw a big oval and some big eyes and I'm done with the page."

So Liefeld decided to counter the situation with his own masked character. He pitched the character as "Spider-Man, but with swords and guns."

And that's how it all started.

Tidbit #2: Deadpool and Captain America Are Pals

Steve Rogers was given the Super Soldier Serum to become Captain America during WWII. The Weapon Plus Program, the program that experimented and gave Deadpool his powers, was attempting to create super-soldiers like Captain America.

As a result, Cap worries about Deadpool's wellbeing and kinda looks out for him like a father figure.

Meanwhile, Deadpool's childhood hero was Captain America so he looks up to the Shield Slinger.

Personally, I would love to see these two in a movie together.

Tidbit #3: Deadpool Was Banned in China

The first Deadpool movie was hugely successful, and made over $783 million worldwide at the box office... without the benefit of the second largest movie market, China.

Unlike other countries which have a rating system to judge a film's suitability for certain audiences (especially for children), China has none. They rely on a government body to determine if a movie is offensive for general audiences.

And I guess Deadpool was offensive. Who would have guess?

Tidbit #4: Deadpool is an Organ Donor

If you have a mutant healing factor and your organs grow back in a couple of days, why wouldn't you be a good samaritan and donate your organs on a regular basis?

Tidbit #5: He Once Killed a Man Who Said the Star Wars Prequels Were Better Than the Originals



Tidbit #6: Deadpool the Character Picked Ryan Reynolds to Play Him



Okay this gets kinda meta...

When Ryan Reynolds was filming Blade: Trinity back in 2004, somebody asked him if he would be interested in portraying Deadpool in a movie. Reynolds wasn't familiar with character until he received a bunch of the comics.

After seeing the above panel with Deadpool saying he's a cross between a Shar-Pei and Ryan Reynolds, the actor felt he was destined to play the character.

So essentially, Deadpool chose Ryan Reynolds to play him.

Tidbit #7: Celine Dion!!!



In a similar vein, Celine Dion was associated with the character before she actually had something to do with the movie sequel...

In 2010, Marvel Comics had a one-shot issue involving Deadpool trying to get a movie made about his life. In the comic, he hires a bunch of Hollywood-types to make the film. Upon watching a test screening, Deadpool is appalled by the musical soundtrack, saying "please don't tell me this is Celine Dion..."

Fast forward half a decade or so in real life, Ryan Reynolds and the movie makers are trying to find a female vocal artist to play a song in the movie. Who does Ryan Reynolds personally ask... the Queen of the Power Ballad herself, Celine Dion.

Tidbits are stranger than facts or fiction.

JR
(JR once ate a tidbit for lunch, but was rushed to the hospital for food poisoning)

Jodie Foster doesn't like superhero movies.

In an interview with some magazine, Foster compared superhero-themed movies to fracking (the process of injecting water at high pressures into subterranean rocks to extract oil or gas).

"You get the best returns right now, but you wreck the earth," she said. "It's ruining the viewing habits of the American population and then ultimately the rest of the world."

Foster has a right to her opinions, and you can agree with her if you want. Maybe she's right. Maybe superhero movies have reached a point of over-saturation.

But I like a good superhero movie. If you like them too, then you got to keep an eye out for these seven upcoming movies.

Black Panther



Release Date: February 16
Director: Ryan Coogler
Stars: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira

This movie is going to be HUGE!

"Black Panther" is outselling every previous superhero film in advanced sales, and there's lots of positive word of mouth. One of the attendees at the premiere in Hollywood last week said "Believe the hype, believe the buzz, believe the words 'cultural phenomenon.'"

Okay, okay. No need to oversell it. I was going to see the movie anyway.

Avengers: Infinity War



Release Date: May 4
Directors: Anthony and Joe Russo
Stars: Chadwick Boseman, Tom Hiddleston, Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Josh Brolin and a whole bunch of others.

The only movie that could possibly be bigger than Black Panther is this one. Marvel has been building up to this movie for ten years.

Ten years!

The only thing I've been building up for ten years is Grumpy Old Man syndrome.

Deadpool 2



Release Date: May 18
Director: David Leitch
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Zazie Beetz

Everybody's favorite chimichanga-eating mercenary is back in this sequel, and he's brought friends... most notably the mutant cyborg from the future, Cable.

I'm looking forward to this one, but where are all of the teaser trailers? We had like a bajillion teaser clips for the last Deadpool movie. Dammit, where are my trailers?!

Ant-Man and the Wasp



Release Date: July 6
Director: Peyton Reed
Stars: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas

Should be interesting to see what this movie is going to be about since it comes on the heels of Infinity War. Not a lot of information out there about this film (probably to prevent spoilers for Infinity War).

Venom



Release Date: October 5
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Stars: Tom Hardy

Okay, this is where we're venturing out into murky waters. Since this is a Sony picture, is it going to be related to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (which now has the film rights to Spider-Man) or is it set in a completely separate Spider-Man universe... without Spider-Man?

There's no word on the plot yet, but I was surprised there was a trailer released already. It looks more like a horror movie than an actual superhero movie.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix



Release Date: November 2
Director: Simon Kinberg
Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Olivia Munn, Sophie Turner

I'm not sure if I'm ready for an X-Men movie without Hugh Jackman.

And besides, didn't they already do this story in X-Men 3? This one better be better.

Aquaman



Release Date: December 21
Director: James Wan
Stars: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard

Hey, look. A DC movie!

Before I get into Aquaman, I did want to mention, there are other superhero movies coming out in 2018. There's Alita, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and The Incredibles 2.

But the one I really am looking forward to is the Teen Titans GO! to the Movies. I loved the animated series, and the trailer is especially awesome. Why? Because it ends with this...

Because if Aquaman can get a movie, then anyone can.

Everyone does, it seems.

JR

Believe it or not, making webcomics doesn't pay the bills. Not yet anyway.

I'm not chillaxing on my luxury yacht in the middle of the Aegean Sea, slipping a mai tai. Maybe Stan Lee can do that, but definitely not me.

No, I have a day job.

It's more like an all-day job. I work crazy hours sometimes. Like 60, 70 or more hours. This past week was one of those weeks.

However, in the back of my mind, as I was working all those hours, I was wondering which tokusatsu movie I would watch for my traditional Tokusatsu Thanksgiving. Would it be Rodan? Or War of the Gargantuas? Or maybe something obscure, like The H-Man?

Tokusatsu, for the non-enthusiasts, is a Japanese live-action film or television show that uses considerable amounts of special effects, usually dealing with science fiction, fantasy or horror. Giant monsters in rubber suits and the Power Rangers are all Tokusatsu.

When I finally stumbled home Wednesday night, carrying a sad sack of fast food, I decided upon Ghidorah, the Three Headed Monster.

I chose wisely.

Ghidorah, the Three Headed Monster is a significant film in the Godzilla mythos. Released in Japan in 1964, it was directed by Ishiro Honda and featured special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Godzilla dons the mantle of hero for the first time as he joins forces with Mothra and Rodan against the dreaded space dragon, Ghidorah.

Truthfully, I fell asleep trying to watch it. Just too damn tired. But I was successfully able to watch it on Thursday morning.

Thanksgiving Thursday.

Tokusatsu Thanksgiving Thursday.

That's an alliteration even Stan Lee would be proud of.

JR

The San Diego Comic Con is a friggin' intense experience. There are all kinds of bizarre things to see...









The rarest site of all at Comic-Con... an empty hallway!!!



Going to Comic-Con takes a lot of energy. You don't attend Comic-Con; you survive it. However, it is still sad when it's over and all you're left are the memories... and sore feet.

Till next year, San Diego... Stay classy.

JR

Another day of the awesome sauce that is the San Diego Comic-Con!

There is lots to see at Comic-Con. There are celebrities like Stan Lee being mobbed by the press or Sergio Aragones receiving the prestigious Icon Award...



My buddy over at The Missing Digit comic got to meet his hero, Jim Davis, creator of Garfield. This was Jim Davis' first Comic-Con appearance.



Besides notable cartoonists, there were more cosplayers...







Come back tomorrow, and we'll wrap up Day Four.

JR

Let's just jump right into the cosplayers, shall we?













Lots of nice costumes. But, by far, the most authentic costume was this one of a hack-cartoonist.



JR