iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

But it’s at least an interesting mess. Seeing Marvel superheroes cut down with even light amounts of gore is so unlikely anything else the MCU has been willing to put on screen

Blackbolt, a Marvel superhero dressed in black with a tuning fork on his head, holds his finger to his lips

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Continuing my extremely slow first-watch through watching MCU Phase 4 with Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, I am once again forced to admit that I had fun and it’s not that bad

Movie poster for Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Very excited with today’s comic shop purchase. These comics absolutely lit my brain up as a 9-year-old (I don’t think my Mom knew how violent they were when she gave them to me). But I lost those original volumes decades ago. And this digest format was sooo reasonably priced!

The new digest edition comic of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Mirage Years 1984 - 1987

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Just finished reading @yarntheory.bsky.social’s short story collection North Continent Ribbon. Really loved it!

Book cover for Ursula Whitcher’s “North Continent Ribbon,” featuring an illustration of a figure on a mountaintop looking down on a forested valley with white structures and a tower rising out of it.

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Trying to get in the habit of a quick sketch before bed each night

A 10-minute sketch of Wolverine on a small notepad.

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Gradually working my way through MCU Phase 4 for the first time, and after watching Eternals I now have my MCU controversial take: Eternals is pretty fucking good (especially if you don’t care how your movies look)

The movie poster for the Marvel Studios movie Eternals (2021). A bunch of good actors in bad costumes standing against a bland background.

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Oooh, sorry! 😅 I thought based on the year there might have been some influence happening

An image of Homer Simpson not getting a joke

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Post a poster you used to have in your room, apartment, or house

A poster published by Nintendo Power for the original Final Fantasy on NES

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

When you’re exploring a new area and you see an elite mob with a unique name #chonkers #sealion

“Chonkers The Omega,” a large Steller sealion at the San Francisco pier

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Sketched a quick ninja turtle before bed the other night

A sketch of a ninja turtle drawn in the style of Eastman and Laird

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

While Venom’s sense of victimhood drives his violent, jealous behaviour, his identification with innocence also plants the seed of his future status as an anti-hero. The only priority greater than revenge is to protect others he perceives to be as “innocent” as himself. 7/7

Venom abandons his assault on Spider-Man in order to save a baby from falling into a river, stating “Innocence is precious. It should be cherished, protected always.” Art from Amazing Spider-Man #332, with pencils by Erik Larsen, inks by Mike Machlan, and colors by Bob Sharen.

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

All this makes Venom a classic case of a villain serving as the dark, distorted reflection of the hero. By amplifying Spider-Man's masculinity to dangerous degrees, he presents readers with a critique of the gendered performances being modelled in superhero comics. 6/7

The cover of issue 6 of Venom: Lethal Protector, depicting a close-up of Venom and Spider-Man squaring off. Art by Mark Bagley.

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

In this regard, Venom serves as a case study of “masculine overcompensation thesis,” a theory that posits that men will resort to extreme acts of masculinity when they perceive a threat to their gender identity. 5/7

The title and abstract of an academic journal article entitled "Overdoing Gender: A Test of the Masculine Overcompensation Thesis," authored by Robb Willer, Bridget Conlon, Christabel L. Rogalin, and Michael T. Wojnowicz.

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

Constantly lamenting their victimhood at the hands of Spider-Man, Brock/Venom become locked in a competitive drive to restore their manly status by dominating his competitor and stripping away his status as a hero, husband, and professional. 4/7

Eddie Brock reveals that he is Venom to Spider-Man, accusing him of stealing career and his future. Art from Amazing Spider-Man #300, with pencils by Todd McFarlane

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

His compulsion to physically overpower Spider-Man is paired with a competitive desire for social markers of masculinity. Eddie Brock believes that Spider-Man intentionally destroyed his reputation and career as a journalist, triggering a persecution complex that drives Venom’s quest 3/7

Eddie Brock explains his quest for revenge on Spider-Man during their initial meeting in Amazing Spider-Man #300, with art by Todd McFarlane and writing by David Michelinie

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

One example is Eddie Brock’s fixation with weight lifting, which is framed as both an outlet for his anger and a way for him to enhance the symbiote’s strength. These scenes draw on popular perceptions of roid rage, which was a topic of public concern at the time of publication 2/7

Panels of Venom/Eddie Brock lifting large weights while ranting about his and the symbiote’s shared hatred for Spider-Man. Art from Amazing Spider-Man 316, with pencils by Todd McFarlane

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

The original Venom storylines in Amazing Spider-Man frame him as a pastiche of late-80s toxic masculinity. Just as his body exaggerates and dwarfs Spider-Man’s superhero physique, his performance of masculinity is defined by excess 1/7 #venom #comics

Venom lunging through the air at Spider-Man. The contrast between them emphasizes Venom’s monstrous size in contrast to the hero. Art from Amazing Spider-Man #333, with pencils by Erik Larsen, inks by Mike Machlan, and colors by Bob Sharen.

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Lastly, since I know scholarly articles like this can be a bit dense, I’ll be posting some mini-essay threads about Venom over the next few weeks (very much a complete rip off... er, loving imitation of @sequentialscholars.bsky.social)

Venom/Eddie Brock, his symbiote half dissolved, struggling in the grasp of a large mining mech in an underground city below San Francisco. Panel from David Michelinie and Mark Bagley's Venom: Lethal Protector (1993)

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

This is an article that I’ve wanted to write for a long time, and I’m thankful for the editors at Closure for giving it a home! Also, a big thank you to @annapeppard.bsky.social for her feedback on one of the earlier drafts 🫶

An image of Spider-Man and Venom giving thumbs up. Art by Mark Bagley. Panel from Amazing Spider-Man 363 (1992)

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

to be fair, this is a photograph of my actual doctor

An 1825 illustration of Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus meeting the Devil.

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

Noteworthy detail: the “concern over sexually explicit material” the Alberta government was supposedly responding to is based on a survey they ran where the majority were NOT supportive of their meddling.

A passage from the Edmonton Journal article: “In the summer of 2025, Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides announced that the province would respond to concerns over sexually explicit material available in school libraries, and specifically mentioned four graphic novels with 2SLGBTQIA+ themes. Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer, Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, Craig Thompson’s Blankets and Flamer by Mike Curato.”

A table breaking down survey results to a question of support for government creating standards for school libraries, highlighting the most popular answer of “Not at all supportive”

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 14/03/2026

When did your obsession with hot toxic women begin?

Typhoid Mary from Marvel comics as drawn by John Romita Jr.

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Post your favorite Lord of the Rings character. Wrong answers only.

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

Catching up on my comic reading for the past couple months and… god damned… Assorted Crisis Events #8 is unquestionably one of the best single issues I’ve ever read

The cover of issue 8 of Assorted Crisis Events by Deniz Camp (W), Eric Zawadzki (A), Jodie Belaire (C), and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (L). Various images of a couple embracing and arguing in panels, with a huddled figure appearing in the gutter between images

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

"Friends" is a beloved American sitcom that aired from 1994 to 2004, following six young adults—Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Joey, and Phoebe—living in New York City. The show explores their friendships, romances, careers, and personal growth over ten seasons.

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Keith Friedlander @friedkeith.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

For my part, I do wonder how it’s possible for the data centre to be powered by an on-site natural gas plant that will generate enough power for 1/10 of the province’s usage