iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 9m

He deserves 39 cakes for his birthday. Not 40 cakes, that would be terrible.

Reposted by Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow

JoJo Seames @jojoseames.bsky.social · 2h

Supporter sketch request! This person asked me to draw my favorite droid from "Star Wars", and that would be the noble GNK power droid! I love you, gonk droid!!

A graphite sketch of a GNK power droid standing politely and saying "GONK" in a dialogue balloon.

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 2h

oh dip I didn't realize Marvel's MIDNIGHT books are next week well, I'm going to be VERY interested in observing the sales patterns and Marvel's reactions to same in the coming weeks

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 4h

It amazes me that people want to buy multiple copies of a $9.99 comic book, but boy that's been nearly every sale of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1000 today. I had doubled my initial order, and now I'm wondering if I'll still have copies by the weekend. Which is better than getting stuck with 'em, I guess.

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 14h

ProgRuin's update is once again embargoed 'til 10 AM Wednesday. I MUST HOLD MY SECRETS 'TIL THEN

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 16h

Went digging through boxes trying to find my stack of old Activision patches...no luck yet, but I did find this pic from the very early '90s of the old comic shop crew...left to right, it's Rob, Cully, Ralph, and yours (unshaven) truly.

Four fellas all in ties, standing in front of a comic book store. Rob is holding a...toy figuring or statue I think, Cully is holding the Hulk model he assembled and painted, Ralph is holding The Peacekeeper (AKA a wooden bat we kept behind the counter), and I'm holding Sid the Skull (a store mascot, later paired with the smaller Marty the Skull).

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

release the LANTERNS "no references to Harry Potter" cut

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Just thinking...to get a patch for an Activision game, you had to send in a photo of your TV showing that you've met the condition (hit a certain score, whatever). I presume they just threw those photos out after confirmation, but maybe some kept a huge archive of them, squirreled away in file boxes

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

BEFORE: my original LASER BLAST cartridge for the Atari 2600, label long lost to tearing and decay. AFTER: same cart, but with a replacement label I got off Etsy. Looks like new again, after over 40 years!

Activision cartridge for the Atari 2600 with no label

Same cart, but with the Laser Blast replacement label attached

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

[getting my COVID and flu shots this morning] PHARMACIST: "So do you have any plans for today?" ME: "Yeah, I have to work after this." PH: "Oh, you still work?" [I'm going to assume she said this because I seem fabulously wealthy, not because I look like I have one foot in the grave]

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I'm still pretty happy about the title of this post. Also, I talk a little about how it's enough to remember liking a thing even if the details elude you. www.progressiveruin.com/2023/10/16/h...

progressiveruin.com

“HDMI Jack” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. – Mike Sterling's Progressive Ruin

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Two-page house ad from ELEMENTALS #26 (1988)...not on facing pages: you got that first image, then had to turn the page to see the follow-up. DON'T BE A DWEEB

Picture of a stereotypical nerd, with messed-up hair, tape-repaired glasses, and a bunch of pens 'n' pencils and such shoved into the pocket protecter in his white button-up shirt. Captioned "Don't be a DWEEB!"

Cool kid in a jeans jacket leaning against a brick wall with his skateboard. Captioned "Read Comico Comics!"

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

holy crow that was a long-ass crazy racist rant that showed up in my comment moderation queue on the site It was spam, not like a deliberate troll, but man I'm pretty sure it was longer than anything I've ever written for my blog.

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Always make that final pass through your Final Order Cutoffs, pals...I almost ordered 54 of something I only wanted 4 of.

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Speaking of comics, just got in my Penguin Random House shipment, which is probably about 80% AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1000. Hopefully all the people that have been asking about 'em are still interested.

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Reposted by Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow

Dirk Deppey @deppey.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

A periodic reminder, for when you read what little, actual comics-industry news that does sneak out and find yourself thinking, "What the fuck?" Marvel and DC are licensing companies that sell comics on the side, not the other way around.

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

why did I say this, have I summoned this into existence

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

So endlessly frustrating. UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL should be a perennial, but the slow decay of TPB availability decimated its sales, and now it's not available at all through Marvel's main direct sales distributor. And no, a "Complete Omnibus" is not the solution.

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Insurance claimed denied by the USPS because 1) no proof of value submitted (which I did submit with the initial claim) and 2) damaged items weren't surrendered to USPS (which were handed directly to an inspector over the weekend). So basically they just lied to not have to do a payout.

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

new Adult Swim horror short where the involved talent gets forgotten by the studio and becomes increasingly destitute

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

oh no this email says they've accessed my computer's camera and microphone, also they must have secretly installed a camera and microphone because my computer doesn't have those things

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Me, planning this post: "I think I can cover all six of these issues in one go." Me, writing the post: "Guess I'm just talking about #297 in this one." www.progressiveruin.com/2026/09/28/m...

progressiveruin.com

My Fantastic Four-ay: Part Thirteen. – Mike Sterling's Progressive Ruin

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Spacechase (Games by Apollo, 1981) for the Atari 2600 is an interesting if kinda awkward shooter, with lightly choppy enemy animation, but has a nice graphical element of a planet smoothly scrolling beneath the playfield. www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bcO...

youtube.com

Atari 2600 - Spacechase

YouTube video by The Video Game Museum

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION (Penelope Spheeris, 1981)

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

whoops, forgot LOWER DECKS, I'll wait for the correction and here's my hot take: BETTER CAUL SAUL is better than BREAKING BAD because they took all the stuff they learned from the first show and applied it to the second one

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Continuing my Star Wars discussion from the other day: apparently there IS going to be a new trilogy, and it's part of the Skywalker Saga? With Rey "involved in some capacity?" I mean, what, did Luke have a cousin we didn't know about? "Somehow Chad Skywalker returned"

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

When you would type the phone number for this game's software company on your Atari 800 to access the level select. www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWsz...

youtube.com

MINER 2049er (ATARI 800XL- FULL GAME + ZONE 10)

YouTube video by Zeusdaz - The Unemulated Retro Game Channel

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Oh, yeah, it's Local Comic Shop Day, the event I literally never remember. That's okay, I'm sure when it's my 39th year of being in this business in 2027, I'll remember.

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

On one hand, I'm not what's triggering the rush of preorders on the Clay Mann variant for ABSOLUTE BATMAN #25; on the other hand, at least it's happening *before* I have to finalize my numbers.

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Reposted by Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow

John Jakala @jjakala.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Love the detail of all the stretchy superheroes rubbernecking at the traffic accident.

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Reposted by Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow

Corey Beckner @captaincorey.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

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Reposted by Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow

Strange Brain Parts @strangebrainparts.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

This video product is a deep dive into the first volume of the great superhero series, Astro City. Like, comment, subscribe and all that jazz. Coerce me into making more about this series. youtu.be/bp_fF3e-4y8

youtu.be

Astro City - A Flawed Utopia With Superheroes

YouTube video by Strange Brain Parts

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

"Should've had Rian Johnson do the whole thing."

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

"WHAT'S THE SECRET TO MAKING MONEY ON COMICS" Me: "I hate to tell you this...."

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

"I used A.I. to pick a comic I could invest in for future value...." ME: "oh no"

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

getting a new COVID booster while it's still legal

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Just discovered there was a "Fantastic Fouray" podcast that long preceded the series of "My Fantastic Four-ay" posts on my site. Whoops. Hopefully there's enough difference in the titles to avoid confusion, if there even is any danger of any.

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

hoo boy more f-slurs I mean, I know folks were free 'n' easy with them at the time, but it's probably a good thing this series is never going to be reprinted.

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I hope Season 5 has a streamed live/all improvised episode. "What's that on our radar?" "It's...um, what are they called again? Klangons? THERE ARE KLANGONS BEHIND THE SHIP, CAPTAIN!" "Fire lasers!"

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Reposted by Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow

Woah Duderino @woahduderino.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Fucking criminal.

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Up too late *again* because I must give unto you my endless wisdom: www.progressiveruin.com/2026/09/25/e...

progressiveruin.com

Especially Punisher Armory. – Mike Sterling's Progressive Ruin

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Sometimes I'll be writing an aside in one of my ProgRuin posts and it'll immediately flash in my head "no, wait, that has to be this entry's title," which definitely just happened in the one I'm working on.

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Rewatched the back half of MANDALORIAN AND GROGU, a perfectly fine film that tanked at the box office because 1) it didn't feel like it'd be any kind of "event," 2) "we've got Mandalorian and Grogu at home," and 3) maaaaybe the kids don't want to pay to see spin-offs of Grandpa's fave sci-fi flicks.

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Mike Sterling, A Comical Fellow @mikester.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

"I finally priced up all those ADVENTURES OF THE BIG BOY comics," said the full-grown man who is allegedly gainfully employed.

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