Moments From My Trip To New York Comic Con 2023

This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.

This video is a collection of images and footage from my annual trip to the New York Comic Con. This has become one of my favorite annual traditions. Going to New York, taking part in this convention, and meeting some of my favorite creatives just fills me with so much joy. And this year was one of the most eventful to date. There was so much to see and I didn’t get to experience everything. But it was still a lot of fun and I can’t wait to go back next years. In the meantime, enjoy these moments from my trip!

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Smile | A Good Horror Movie That Was Almost Great

This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.

This video is my personal take on Smile, a 2022 horror movie that I was really excited about when I first saw the trailer. But after seeing it in theaters, I found myself a bit underwhelmed with how it played out. I still thought it was a good movie, but it had the potential to be much greater. And I think that shortcoming offers some lessons for future horror movies. Enjoy!

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Filed under horror, Jack's Comic Gems, Jack's World, movies, YouTube

Jack’s Comic Gems: Punisher Max: Mother Russia

This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.

This is video another entry in my ongoing “Jack’s Comic Gems” collection. And for this gem, I re-visit one of the darkest, grittiest gems from the early 2000s. A lot has been made in recent years about Frank Castle and the iconography of the Punisher, largely due to toxic politics and creative failures.

But in the early 2000s, Garth Ennis gave us the greatest iteration of the modern Punisher with the Punisher MAX series. This was Frank Castle as his best and most brutal. If that era had a high point, it was the Mother Russia arc. It’s a true gem from a different era of Marvel.

It’s a gem from a different world, in general. But even with everything that has changed around us, this story showed us just how brutal and compelling a Punisher comic can be. Enjoy!

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Jack’s CreepyPastas: The Hidden Blockbuster

This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.

This is a CreepyPasta that I wrote and narrated myself after walking by the empty building where my local Blockbuster used to be. Enjoy!

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The End Of The WGA Writer’s Strike: Important Lessons And (Distressing) Insights

When an underdog succeeds, it’s worth celebrating. It’s a big reason why sports movies and superhero movies have so much appeal. Most audiences just love it when an underdog triumphs over daunting odds. And they love cheering with them when they ultimately succeed.

In that spirit, we should cheer the recent news surrounding the WGA strike that has been going on since mid-July 2023. According to the Associated Press, a tentative deal between the WGA and the major studios has been reached. While that doesn’t mean the strike is completely over, it marks a critical step in getting people back to work in an industry that was already reeling from the aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

AP: Writers’ union reaches tentative deal with Hollywood studios to end historic strike

As someone who loves movies, TV, and mindless entertainment as much as the next consumer, this is great news. This strike was bound to do more and more damage the longer it went on. We probably won’t know the full extent of that damage until a few years from now when we can look back at the impacts with the benefit of hindsight.

There’s also a personal element to this strike. I have multiple family members who work in the entertainment industry, mostly in the film and production side of things. They, more than most, felt the impact of this strike. Early on, a few even told me that this strike had the potential to last a long time. One even said they didn’t expect a resolution until late November. There was even a possibility it could continue well into 2024.

Thankfully, that no longer appears to be the case. This tentative deal, assuming it gets ratified, will provide some overdue benefits to the writers who play a big part in making the shows and movies we love so much. They deserve a deal that allows them to reap the fruits of their creative labor. You don’t have to look hard to find out just how much they were getting screwed over by a changing entertainment industry that studio executives and CEOs were exploiting to the utmost.

And therein lies an important lesson that’s worth highlighting, even as the strike comes to an end. This whole issue happened because the entertainment industry was changing. The old system that relied on residual income from broadcast TV and DVD sales just wasn’t going to cut it in an era of streaming media. The writers and actors behind some of these successful shows just weren’t getting the same share of the profits. And the studios were very much aware of this.

They could’ve adapted to ensure that those involved in the production could continue to be compensated fairly, even as consumers switched from traditional outlets to streaming.

They could’ve been open, honest, and transparent with the new economics of producing successful TV shows and movies in the post-COVID world.

They could’ve even explained why it was considerably difficult to pay generous residuals in a world of streaming media wherein profit margins were just too thin, if there even were profits to begin with.

But they didn’t. The executives, the CEOs, and those with the real power within these entertainment companies chose not to be proactive. Instead, they prioritized the price of their company stock and the investors who owned that stock. This is to be expected, as that tends to be the default reflex of publicly traded companies.

Call it callous in that it blatantly disregards the real work and toil of those producing the content.

Call it greed in the shallowest possible sense.

But at the moment, that’s simply how the incentives align in the entertainment industry, if not most industries in the global economy. There’s just too much money to be made by the rich and well-connected to do anything else. They are not going to do right by their workers unless they’re forced to, if not by law than by organized labor.

That may come off as cynical, but it’s also an important insight and one that every worker in every industry would be wise to remember. Because over the course of this strike, it quickly became clear how out of touch and callous these billionaire CEOs and executives were. They kept demanding that writers be reasonable with their requests. But at the same time, they were making hundreds of millions of dollars in salary and millions more in stock options.

These are not people capable of identifying with the life and struggles of working people.

These are people who might as well live on a different planet with respect to wealth, privlidge, and access.

Men Like David Zazlav and Bob Iger will never have to worry about paying a mortgage on time, falling behind on their bills, or ending up homeless because they cannot afford the outrageous rents in cities like Los Angeles and New York. So, how can we possibly expect them to empathize, let alone understand, the struggles of the writers and workers who help make their companies successful.

Most of these executives never set foot on a production stage, nor do they write or edit a single script. They just sit in offices, make demands/decisions, allocate money, and deal directly with investors whose primary focus is seeing a return on their investment.

And even if the company were to fail completely, these people would still end up with millions upon millions of dollars in their bank accounts. If they wanted to, they could never work a day for the rest of their lives. But those who actually work for them would be completely screwed.

It’s an unequal, unfair situation full of misaligned incentives. The executive and CEO class holds the power, the cards, and the money. They will not do the right things as a first recourse. They will only ever do what investors and their own self-interests incentive, by default. No matter how much money they have, they’ll keep trying to make more. And if that means screwing over their workers in any possible way, they’ll do it.

Remember that the next time labor issues come up. This doesn’t just apply to the entertainment industry, either. Any industry with a similar incentive structure will have the same issues. If there are rich, well-connected CEOs with shareholders to please, don’t expect them to prioritize workers beyond what they can legally and logistically get away with.

The only true counter to this uneven dynamic is that, despite all the power and money executives weird, they still need workers. They still need consumers. They still need to be credible in the eyes of the public to some extent. That kind of leverage is critical to maintain and appreciate.

Because the world will continue to change.

Every industry, from entertainment to making widgets, will continue to change with society and technology.

Those doing the work need to change with it because those with the money and power sure as hell won’t do right by anyone but themselves, unless they have to. And only those doing the work can make that happen.

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Filed under AI Art, Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Current Events, writing

Comic Book Video Reviews On My YouTube Channel

This past couple of months, I’ve experimented with making video reviews of comic books on my YouTube channel, Jack’s World. I wasn’t sure if this was going to be a regular thing, but it does seem to have found an audience. So, I wanted to share some of those reviews on this site.

Here’s my review for Jean Grey #1.

Here’s my review for Jean Grey #2.

Here is a playlist of reviews for Ultimate Invasion.

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Celebrating & Honoring Stanislav Petrov: The Man Who Saved My Life (And MANY Others)

This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.

This video is my way of celebrating and honoring Stanislav Petrov, a man who I know for a fact saved my life, as well as the lives of many others. Few know his story or what happened during the events of September 26, 1983. On this day, the world as we knew it almost ended. The Soviet Union and the United States almost went to nuclear war.

But it was because of one man’s decision that this did not happen. Stanislav Petrov is the man who made that decision and for that, I am grateful. After watching this video, I hope others share in this sentiment. Enjoy!

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CAN Humanity Effectively Govern Itself Video?

This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.

This video explores the question of whether humanity can actually govern itself beyond a certain point. For most of human history, the stakes were local. But now, the stakes are global in a very literal sense. Between climate change and nuclear weapons, humanity has the ability to end itself and all life on Earth.

That makes the question of whether or not we can effectively govern ourselves incredibly relevant. And I try to explore that concept as best I can while leaving some room for speculation on both sides.

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Sexy Short Story: Racing Against Time

The following is a sexy short story inspired by a popular tip among relationship experts to scheduled regular sex. Enjoy!


The clock on the living room wall read 11:50 p.m. Janine Ultman knew time was working against them. Her husband and long-time lover, Bryce Ultman, knew it too. So, as soon as she walked through the front door, they had to act fast.

It didn’t matter that she was still in the overpriced work clothes she’d so diligently put on earlier that morning.

It didn’t matter that he had been home since six, patiently waiting for her in the raggedy sweatpants and muscle shirt he often wore this time of year.

They had both had a long week and had every excuse to just curl up in bed, fall asleep, and wait until morning to do anything. But none of those excuses mattered because tonight was Friday night. And Friday night was their sex night. Even with only ten minutes to act, they had no excuses.

“Sorry I’m late, hun,” Janice told him as soon as she entered the front door.

“Don’t apologize yet. We still have time,” Bryce told her, meeting her in the foyer before she could remove her coat.

“We’ll be cutting it real close,” she warned him.

“I’m up for the challenge if you are.”

“I’d hoped you’d say that.”

She cast him a knowing grin. He grinned right back at her, his hands already on her shoulders as she set her coat aside. Bryce had been sitting on the stairs waiting for her, clearly fighting off the urge to fall asleep on the couch. She’d texted him a half-hour ago, letting him know that her meeting ran late and traffic was terrible. She didn’t think she’d make it back in time to maintain this special tradition of theirs, but they still had a chance. And it was a chance worth taking.

Janice didn’t bother hanging her coat up. She even tossed her purse aside, not caring that her phone needed to be charged. Bryce was already setting the mood, standing so close that she could smell the cheap aftershave he’d used that same morning. And he was drawing her closer in a way that allowed their body heat to become entwined. That always seemed to get their passions flowing, among other things.

He commenced the act with a soft, but intimate kiss. Janice responded by deepening it quickly, twirling her tongue with his and pawing his chest with both hands. Her first instinct was to lead him up the stairs to their bedroom. But then, she saw the clock out of the corner of her eye.

It read 11:52 p.m. Time was running out.

“The living room,” Janice gasped.

Bryce responded with a deep, masculine moan. That was his way of letting her know she got the message. And with no hesitation, he grasped her hips with both hands and led her into the living room, which was only a few steps away.

During this brief trek, she and Bryce shed their clothes. His casual attire came off the quickest, but he helped her catch up, peeling off that fancy blouse, skirt, and stockings that had gotten so itchy after a long day at the office. It helped that he’d become quite adept at stripping her. It was just one of the many benefits of maintaining this intimate tradition of theirs.

“It’s 11:53,” Janice said just as he removed her panties.

“Plenty of time,” Bryce said as he admired her now-naked body.

That added touch of confidence was a hell of a turn-on. Janice felt her heart race faster as certain parts of her body heated up. Bryce further fueled that fire by lifting her up in his arms, hitching her legs around his waist, and carrying her towards the couch.

More intense kissing followed.

More touching, caressing, and squeezing followed.

The hot feeling of skin touching skin added to the growing arousal. Janice felt the hardened flesh of his penis rub against her inner thighs. It was perfectly aligned with the growing moistness between her legs. Together, they were pulling out all the stops with their foreplay, embracing and groping one another’s naked bodies in all the ways they loved.

Time might have been working against them, but their bodies and their passions kept up. And when the moment came, she and Bryce seized it.

“I’m ready,” Janice whispered seductive into his ear.

Her husband responded with actions rather than words. Still gripping her hips, he laid her down on the couch and hitched her leg up over his shoulder. He then angled his body with hers, aligning the tip of his hardened penis with the wet folds of her vagina. And with a focused thrust, he entered her.

“Oohhh yes!” Janice beamed.

They were doing it. Their sex had commenced and the clock hadn’t struck midnight. Bryce let out another deep grunt of contentment, savoring that sweet feeling of their flesh fully entwined. But just initiating the act before the end of their official sex night wasn’t enough. Bryce Ultman never stopped with the bare minimum. That was one of the many reasons she fell in love with him.

“Hold on, love,” he told her, that confident undertone showing again.

With an energy not typical of a man who’d endured such a long week, he made love to her with extra fervor. Every thrust was a little harder. Every movement was a little faster. He also fully utilized his extensive knowledge of her body, using his thumb to rub her clit in a very specific way and making those deep, masculine noises that drove her so wild.

It sent Janice’s sex and her desires into overdrive. A flood of hot, raw sensations coursed through her body, bombarding her with the sweet pleasures of lovemaking. He was pushing to the brink of orgasm, knowing full well that it usually took a while for her to build to that point. Janice pushed with him, shifting her body in conjunction with every movement, every thrust and contortion complementing the breadth of this act.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the clock read 11:58. Her heart raced faster and her body raced with it. She could feel an orgasm approaching, but it was still going to be close.

“Almost…there!” Janice gasped. “I’m so…so close!”

Sensing time running out, Bryce made the final push and shifted their bodies into a new position. He was now sitting in an upright position with her straddling his lap, both knees planted firmly by his thighs. Janice instinctively grasped onto his shoulders, her eyes locked with his, and began riding him hard.

She loved this position.

She loved just being able to vent her desires, working her hips while their genitals slithered sensually in a harmonious rhythm of flesh.

It was just what Janice needed to make it past that critical threshold. As she crossed it, sending her body past the point of no return, she dug her nails hard into her husband’s shoulder. And he caressed her face as that distinct orgasmic expression manifested before him.

“Ohhh Bryce!” she cried out.

“Jan…” he managed to get out.

Finally, they could stop rushing and just share in this powerful moment together. The rush of sensations shot through her body, that familiar orgasmic release washing over her. Her inner muscles throbbed, her back arched, and lower body shuddered in accord with every blissful wave.

She also felt Bryce climax with her. She felt his penis tense inside her just before releasing a thick stream of cum into her waiting depths. He’d clearly been holding back, just waiting for her to join him in this ecstasy that they shared on a weekly basis. Even though they shared it regularly, she and Bryce still cherished it. Because no matter what kind of week they were having, they always had something special to look forward to.

And just as Janice felt the orgasmic rush pass, she noticed the clock change from 11:50 p.m. to midnight. That made it official. They had met their deadline and maintained the special tradition of their sex night.

“We made it…just in time,” Janice said breathlessly.

“Yeah…cut it pretty close, though,” said Bryce, still holding her close as they shard a naked embrace

“But we did it! Friday night…is still our sex night.”

“And I intend to keep it that way,” he said with a confident grin.

“I love you,” she replie with a grin of her own.

“I love you too.”

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Why Married…With Children Still Matters

This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.

This video is a celebration and a retrospective of one of my favorite shows of all time, Married…With Children.

This show was groundbreaking in so many ways. At a time when every other sitcom was about likable, feel-good families, Married…With Children aspired to be precisely not that with the ever-dysfunctional Bundy family. It really broke the mold for what a sitcom could be.

But it’s also one of those shows that gets lumped with others that couldn’t be made today. I respectfully disagree with that. In fact, I argue that Married…With Children is more relevant now than it was when it first aired. Enjoy!

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