iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

He genuinely looks like the old lead singer from Saliva. I'm not doing a bit. Palmer made $6 billion and ended up looking like a distinctly unkempt Josey Scott.

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Were I to construct a pair of middle fingers as big as the sky, stretching from horizon to horizon in an overpowering display of nonverbal profanity, unavoidable, unignorable, it would not approach the depth or breadth to which this guy needs to fuck off.

The AI-Made Game the Internet Told You to Hate Is Out of Early Access, and Now It Has Online Co-op

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Pretty bummed about this one. I'd covered Polyarc a lot in the last few years, and met a bunch of the team on a couple of occasions. They'd even given me one of their Quill statuettes.

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

One part reporter, one part the Pope, It's the inevitable return of the great white dope

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

It probably isn't a particularly hot take, but the one problem with THE CROSSING being thrown down the memory hole so hard is that it means one of the Scarlet Witch's best costumes is the next best thing to non-canon. This outfit would go hard as hell in MARVEL RIVALS.

The Scarlet Witch's '90s fit in AVENGERS: THE CROSSING #1, by Mike Deodato.

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

I choose to believe this is a looksmaxxing joke.

A rock turtle monster from PALWORLD.

"It smashes its body against harder rocks to maintain its preferred shape."

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

I was not expecting MARVEL RIVALS Jubilee to be the second coming of Kassandra from HUNTER: THE RECKONING. If I had a nickel for every loud Chinese-American lady dressed in a crop top with rapid-fire projectiles... well, 2 nickels. And it's not that weird, since they're 20+ years apart.

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

I've come to appreciate how no matter the era or the current status quo in AVENGERS, Thor always has Jarvis's back.

Thor helps Jarvis shovel the sidewalk outside Avengers Mansion in AVENGERS v1 #219. W: Jim Shooter, A: Bob Hall.

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Ah, and let's not forget the people who are so grindset-brained that they cannot turn it off under any circumstances.

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

I've been meaning to print this out and post it above my writing desk. From Stephen King's DANSE MACABRE: creative talent is a knife. (It's a very Stephen King sort of analogy, and this is from deep within his cocaine years. Even so, this thought has never left me in 30 years.)

"Talent is a dull knife that will cut nothing unless it is wielded with great force... Discipline and constant work are the whetstones upon which the dull knife of talent is honed until it becomes sharp enough to cut through even the toughest meat and gristle."

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

Seeing the two versions of Danger side by side is like a before/after ad for psychiatric medication.

Danger, in Whedon/Cassaday's ASTONISHING X-MEN

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

You know, just once I'd like an AI guy to absorb the correct moral from one of these stories: your dream future is a nightmare scenario. We've all told you nothing else and it wasn't because we didn't understand you; your shit is wack, your bars are weak, your Jordans are fake. Learn to draw.

Swen Vincke, head of Larian Studios, does damage control over an interview where he discussed the use of AI tools on DIVINITY.

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 24/08/2025

I reminded myself of something today: it's a shame that the best costume Colossus ever had was a one-off from the "Asgardian Wars" crossover.

Art Adams draws the '80s X-Men, as well as a unique costume for Colossus that was only ever seen in this story.

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Don't overthink it: what comic book panels/pages live in your head rent-free? Drop four and tag #comicsdna

"This is gonna piss me off forever."

Tommy Monaghan kills his biological father in Ennis & McCrea's HITMAN.

"That once... we were swashbucklers. Then the world offered harder questions."

Nova and Magneto talk after a fight, in Al Ewing and Juan Frigeri's GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2020).

"No, that's how you know he's serious!"

Ultimate Peter and his clone Jessica fight Doctor Octopus in Bendis and Bagley's ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN (2000).

TRANSMETROPOLITAN #32: Spider leaks a banned column via an indie website, starting his final conflict with the President of the United States. (Ellis/Robertson)

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 21/07/2025

In a stunning moment of self reflection, a whiteboard apologized and acknowledged how dangerous its own behavior can be

A "YouTube apology" found in an influencer house in DEAD ISLAND 2 (2023)

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

You either die a Calvin, or live long enough to be Calvin's dad.

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 21/05/2025

I'll grant you that it's in a weird place, but it's there.

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

Hanging at the 100 Yen Life warehouse in Kent.

Gottlieb's STREET FIGHTER II pinball machine.

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

Here's the plan. As soon as CITY OF THE WOLVES comes out, somebody creates a mod that replaces Ronaldo with Roberto from RIVAL SCHOOLS. Then we pretend he's another Capcom guest character and never speak of this again.

Official art for Roberto from Capcom's RIVAL SCHOOLS/PROJECT JUSTICE.

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

My days of having an immediate, reflexive repulsion to the term "waifu" are certainly coming to a middle.

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

Recently happened across MUTANT NATION, a miniseries in the current IDW continuity for TMNT, which begins with Raphael as the bouncer in a biker bar in small-town Arizona. I'm not much of a TMNT guy, but I would read at least 20 issues of TMNT: ROAD HOUSE Edition.

TMNT: MUTANT NATION #1, by Tom Waltz and Vincenzo Frederici: Raphael quells two bikers who're harassing a waitress, but does try to deescalate first.

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Stopped by Wizards of the Coast HQ last week to catch up with Mitzi the lobby dragon. She's having fun in the new place; more space to stretch out, and she apparently gets to eat the occasional intern. Good times.

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 30/12/2024

Well, damn. 1,000 followers. Never had half that many on Twitter. I'm sure you all regret it already.

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 23/12/2024

Bagging and boarding some comics from storage, and finding some fun stuff. Didn't appreciate this Charles Vess cover as a kid.

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 21/12/2024

My indie column at Hard Drive has had some interesting knock-on effects on my play habits, which were already a vast statistical outlier.

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

We started the century with the knowledge we were almost always on camera. Now we've internalized that to the point where we're always performing. Turning off your devices is dissent. Grant Morrison saw it coming.

"What do people do when they know they're on camera? They act!"

THE INVISIBLES V3 #1 (1999), by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 12/11/2024

Barely 20 minutes into BEASTIEBALL and I have already captured a portrait of my rich inner self.

A surprisingly decent version of myself in BEASTIEBALL, surprised as someone nearby is screaming in rage.

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 28/10/2024

Hey, a new seasonal Steam sale! Time to look at the games that have been discounted and see what's part of the sale despite not matching the theme in any adequate way! Wow! That took less than 5 seconds! A new record!

what in the creamery nut butter is Brotato doing on the horror-themed sale

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 26/10/2024

Heading back into a classic for a podcast recording later.

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 10/10/2024

With the information that SILENT HILL 2 is apparently supposed to be set somewhere around 1992-1993, I sort of want a PC mod to replace the Health Drink with one of those super '90s gas station beverages like Sobe.

The in-game model for health drinks in the SILENT HILL 2 remake (2024).

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Part VIII: Thomas Takes Manhattan @stolisomancer.bsky.social · 02/10/2024

You know, if Wizards of the Coast really wants to raid the back catalog for "signature characters" of D&D, what have these dudes been up to lately? Did they even bother to rescue Indel?

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