iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Pine Island might not be as murderous as Cabot Cove yet but give Alicia Malone time! Her first fiction book, MURDER AT THE MOVIES, comes out next week from @runningpressbooks.bsky.social and I got to interview the #TCM host and author here: comicon.com/2026/09/29/a...

Cover for Alicia Malone's book, MURDER AT THE MOVIES (silhouette of a cat and a woman in a hat by the ticket booth of a movie theater)

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I love a movie that doesn't smooth out the awkwardness of everyday social interactions. DEAR HEART, starring Glenn Ford and Geraldine Page, is just such a movie and I got to review Warner Archive's new Blu-ray here: comicon.com/2026/09/25/p...

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Are some of her films better than others? Sure, but Deanna Durbin can really do no wrong and I'm glad Universal are continuing to release her films on Blu-ray, however barebones those discs may be. My review of FIRST LOVE and I'LL BE YOURS: comicon.com/2026/09/23/d...

Blu-ray cover for FIRST LOVE featuring Deanna Durbin and Robert Stack

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

THE FRIGHTENERS is a tale of two movies. I preferred the film about a scam artist who tricks people w/the help of ghosts👻. Peter Jackson seems to have preferred the film about an undead serial killer. My full review of @arrowvideo.bsky.social's upcoming 4K & Blu-ray here: comicon.com/2026/09/21/s...

Double-sided cover art for Arrow's upcoming 4K and Blu-ray release of Peter Jackson's THE FRIGHTENERS

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Nobody ever really addresses who the Bride was before they became the Bride which is why I'm intrigued by @kellythompson.bsky.social & @mattiadeiulis.bsky.social new series BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN LIVES (plus they're a power team) & was excited to interview them again here: comicon.com/2026/09/21/t...

Cover D (Connecting) by Luana Vecchio for THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN LIVES #1

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Paul F. Tompkins @pftompkins.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

It’s very simple and it’s been said over and over but I guess it needs saying continuously: if you deem one group too small to have equal rights you are enabling fascism, not fighting it. The people saying Dems are GREAT on trans rights are not paying attention and/or saying stuff like this.

Nichole Hiltz
The Democrats defend the Kennedy Center but not trans people.
A building.

@treewarrior.bsky....
maybe because defending everything about a super small minority of the population is not worth losing to fascists

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

I went into LIZA THE FOX-FAIRY expecting Casper the Friendly Ghost with kitsune. What I found instead was a real gem available on Blu-ray from @cauldronfilms.bsky.social and which you can read my full review for here: comicon.com/2026/09/17/i...

Mónika Balsai wearing a kimono on the cover for Cauldron Films' Blu-ray of LIZA THE FOX-FAIRY

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

As a NIGHT GALLERY fan I didn't realize Rod Serling had less creative control on that show. Just one of the things you can learn from reading @sepinwall.bsky.social's biography SERLING (@grandcentralpub.bsky.social), I even got to interview Sepinwall about the book here: comicon.com/2026/09/14/b...

Cover for Serling: A Journey Into ‘The Twilight Zone’ With TV’s First Visionary (featuring Rod Serling)

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Willow Catelyn Maclay @willowcatelyn.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I wrote about THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER for my horror column. I feel as though this is one of the best pieces I have written this year. It is always an energizing experience to write about a film that I consider an all time great. www.patreon.com/willowcately...

a still image from The Night of the Hunter. Robert Mitchum is in silhouette in a bedroom with sharp angles pointing upward. It has both the feel and the temper of a sacred space, perhaps a church, perhaps a womb. Shelley Winters lay on the bed. He is about to do something bad to her

The Night of the Hunter’s legacy is intertwined with the Southern Gothic, and it may in fact be the primary film befitting the categorization, but when director Charles Laughton set out to make his feature directorial debut, the notion of the Southern Gothic was one that was unfamiliar to most audiences. Hunter is adapted from Davis Grubb’s 1953 novel of the same name, and the text is widely considered a modest example of a genre that contains such powerhouse writers as William Faulkner and Flannery O’Conner. It’s possible that Laughton may have been familiar with these titans of the South’s tortured conscious, because he initially sought out Tennessee-born writer James Agee to adapt the screenplay. Agee had previously found success with John Huston for The African Queen, but his prose for Hunter proved unwieldy. He turned in a 254 page behemoth that was reportedly magnificent, but it had to be trimmed down for the picture. Laughton eventually ended up ignoring the script and began carrying around the novel on-set, along with the Bible, which he was reading continuously at the time. Laughton’s position as a closeted gay man, but one who was fascinated by God and religion provokes ample contradictions in The Night of the Hunter; something like an intellectual who has convinced himself of the primacy of spirituality. The film is driven by a childlike wonder, and eager to indulge in fantastical fairy-tale imagery and morals, and he found the bedrock for Hunter’s gripping images of black and white silhouette, and light and shadow, by looking back to the heydey of silent film. A seance for the old language. During production, he sought out the films of D.W. Griffith in particular; a director whose own lineage with the American South is central and problematically racist. Laughton wanted to make a movie that would grab audiences by the collar and never let go. The trouble was that no one ever saw The Night of the Hunter when it eventually came out.....

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

It might seem early to be thinking about Christmas but the FOC date for @archiecomics.bsky.social's CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR is this Monday and I got to interview @ianflynnbkc.bsky.social and @danparent.bsky.social about their story which features Bob Phantom and Black Jack: comicon.com/2026/09/11/t...

Bob Phantom variant cover by Jamal Igle for ARCHIE'S CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR [Jughead, Betty, Archie, and Veronica posing for a group photo being taken by Archie while dressed in their winter hats and coats]

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David Barnett @davidmbarnett.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Herne & Shuck are back in @2000ad.bsky.social next week! Thanks to @thecomicon.bsky.social and @ziggystarlog.bsky.social for an excellent interview: comicon.com/2026/09/10/e...

comicon.com

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

More HERNE AND SHUCK (@2000ad.bsky.social) is always cause for celebration. In my latest interview with @davidmbarnett.bsky.social & Lee Milmore, David comes for The Princess Bride and we even get a sneak peek at Lee's art for the new arc which starts next week in the UK: comicon.com/2026/09/10/e...

Promo art of Jordy and Herne for HERNE & SHUCK: STORMING THE STONE

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I don't know if I'll ever be a Minion-stan, but the tip off that Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton would be making an appearance in MINIONS & MONSTERS meant I at least had to give the latest installment a try. FULL REVIEW: comicon.com/2026/09/10/t...

James the minion and Irene the slime monster on the cover for Universal's Blu-ray of MINIONS & MONSTERS

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

One of the few gangster films I hold in high esteem, Ben Kingsley's performance in SEXY BEAST is explosive and I got to review @secondsightfilms.bsky.social's Blu-ray release which is coming out later this month: comicon.com/2026/09/09/i...

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

It's always cool when creators you've been following for years come out with a new project. UNDERCOVER MONSTER is available now from @papercutzgn.bsky.social and I got to interview Mina Elwell (Infernoct), @acmedina.bsky.social and Kit Wallis (Hellicious) about it: comicon.com/2026/09/04/t...

Art by Kit Wallis for UNDERCOVER MONSTER featuring the main character, Mia

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Every Friday this month @tcmtv.bsky.social has a programmed a different documentary and I got to interview the Kuperberg sisters about theirs -- BEYOND THE BORDER: LATINO REPRESENTATION IN HOLLYWOOD -- which is making its broadcast TV premiere on September 18th: comicon.com/2026/09/02/a...

BEYOND THE BORDER: LATINO REPRESENTATION IN HOLLYWOOD poster

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Rachel Merrill Artist for Gil Thorp and Death To Pachuco! @ohhhaeee.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Seberg feast for all you Frenchie Fans! Also $30 in person, $25 on preorder

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

GILMORE GIRLS is the 1st series I started collecting on DVD. This set doesn't add much to the table, but it's still a chance to own the show on Blu & I hope Warner continues this trend with other shows like ER & a Deadwood re-release (but rethink the packaging). REVIEW: comicon.com/2026/09/01/i...

Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel) Gilmore on the cover of GILMORE GIRLS: THE COMPLETE SERIES

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

I know THE PITT is filling that ER void for some people, but for my money medical drama fans are sleeping on ALL HEART. A) you get to support PBS to stream it. B) it's Italian. C) it's set in the sixties. D) I am much more invested in these characters' lives, plus the fashions are incredible.

Alberto, Delia (holding a heart because she's a cardiologist), and Cesare from the Italian TV show, ALL HEART. Yes, there's a love triangle but the heart wants what the heart wants (and this show is awesome)

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

MIDNIGHT RUN is the film when I became aware of Charles Grodin's comic genius. Next week @tcmtv.bsky.social is airing a documentary on him called CHARLES GRODIN: REBEL WITH A CAUSE and I got to interview the film's director, James L. Freedman: comicon.com/2026/08/28/a...

Poster for the documentary CHARLES GRODIN: REBEL WITH A CAUSE

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Benjamin Hall @rippersspot.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Interview I conducted with comic creator Enrique Colominas about the upcoming 2026 adaptation of Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray from @comicstitan.bsky.social is publishing. tinyurl.com/4epme3y6 #comics #comicbook #comicbooks #interview #oscarwilde #graphicnovel

cover to Enrique Corominas's graphic novel adaptation of Oscar Wilde's novel Dorian Gray. Shows a bluish-gray version of the titular character with period accurate clothes including a derby like hat, an overcoat, lacy gloves, and a shirt, and an ascot. He is pressing his youthful face to his elderly disfigured portrait. The painting version of Gray is a sickly golden-yellow with possibly some greenish hue. The top text says "Corominas Dorian Gray" and the bottom says "Based on the novel by Oscar Wilde."

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Tom & Lorenzo @tomandlorenzo.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

What horseshit. She embraced gay people at the height of the AIDS crisis, embraced trans people at the height of the war against them, supported Black communities and artists, and wrote the most pro-worker's rights feminist pop song of all time. Neutral my ass

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Alex @purplechrain.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Jane Fonda’s tribute to Dolly is perfect.

janefonda
I am devastated. I just learned that Dolly has moved on. I know that millions are mourning and I want to say this - more than anyone I have ever known, Dolly will always be with us because she was so present, so powerful, so generous and playful that she is woven into all our lives and hearts forever. We have our memories of her, her songs, Dollywood, "9to5," the millions of books she got into the hands of children, all the iconic images that bring her to us. And they are all blessings. Let's be grateful for all that she has left us to ease our sadness now. I never knew anyone like her. She was simultaneously a naughty, playful southern gal from the hollows of
Tennessee and a deep, soulful thinker who could see through people right down to their true selves. She was many things...lyricist, songstress, player of many instruments, writer, prankster, visionary, loyal friend, who'd never go to bed before she and her friends had laughed so hard
they'd have to cross their legs.
She had a survivor's instinct and seemed to always know just what to do, just what to say, to make things right....and then she's stick her butt out the car window and moon Kenny Roger's home. She was the voluptuous embodiment of empathy. That's something of hers she'd want us all to take with us.
To her gay and trans fans, I want you to know that she loved you. You know that without me telling you. She loved all her fans and they are legion. And you know she doesn't want y'all to mourn now. Dress up and celebrate her spirit. But first, watch the final episode of Grace and Frankie where she's an Angel, the head honcho working class angel in Heaven.
RIP, beautiful woman. We love you.

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

TILL WE MEET AGAIN may be a propaganda film but in director Frank Borzage's hands there's something undeniably magical about this WWII drama which has been unavailable (but not because it's unmemorable). Out next week from @kinolorber.com, here's a link to my review: comicon.com/2026/08/21/n...

Kino Lorber's Blu-ray cover for TILL WE MEET AGAIN (Ray Milland as an aviator next to to Barbara Britton as a nun)

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

I first learned about SERGEANT RUTLEDGE in Donald Bogle's book, Hollywood Black. Now this John Ford western is available on Blu-ray from Warner Archive and you can read my full thoughts here: comicon.com/2026/08/19/c...

Woody Strode and Jeffrey Hunter on the Blu-ray cover for SERGEANT RUTLEDGE

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Emily St. James @emilystjams.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Big news! My second novel, Beth March Returns from the Dead, has a gobsmackingly great cover by Zevvy Smith-Danford! I am so proud of this book and also of getting a weird Nathaniel Hawthorne joke into the pages of People magazine. people.com/emily-st-jam...

people.com

In ‘Beth March Returns From the Dead’ by Emily St. James, Two Exes Confront Their Complex Past — See the Cover! (Exclusive)

PEOPLE can exclusively reveal the cover of Emily St. James’ new novel ‘Beth March Returns From the Dead.’ The book reimagines ‘Little Women’ through a trans lens, centering on two exes who reconnect o...

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CLAYFACE: CELEBRITY DIRT #3 out now @judedoyle.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Over at the newsletter: My repressed church-kid childhood, imagining "My Own Private Idaho," and the tragedy of River Phoenix. No paywall, my sadness is for the world: jude-doyle.ghost.io/children-of-...

jude-doyle.ghost.io

Children of God: My Own Private Idaho (Gus Van Sant, 1991)

Welp, it took me 30 years to be sad about this, and it will take me 30 more years to recover.

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Want to help support Not Our Native Daughters and get your hands on a jam packed anthology? YOU ARE ON NATIVE LAND comes out next month from @madcavestudios.com and I got to interview @mightybrunstad.bsky.social about editing the charity comic: comicon.com/2026/08/18/t...

YOU ARE ON NATIVE LAND (Cover Art by David Cutler, colors by Paris Alleyne)

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

MALPERTUIS is definitely weird but sometimes hypnotic, surreal imagery is enough to forgive a shaky plot. The painterly aesthetic of this film is mesmerizing (and I say that as someone who didn't love DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS). FULL REVIEW:

Orson Welles on the back cover of Radiancé's MALPERTUIS (Slip Cover Art by Time Tomorrow)

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

It's alive! Eyegore Estates is, that is, in ARCHIE'S HALLOWEEN SPECTACULAR. Out next month from @archiecomics.bsky.social, I got to ask @ianflynnbkc.bsky.social and @billgalvanartwork.bsky.social about turning the house into a Frankenstein's monster of sorts: comicon.com/2026/08/17/e...

Medusa Doom at a control panel driving the alive Eyegore Estates on the cover for ARCHIE'S HALLOWEEN SPECTACULAR (Cover Art by Steven Butler and Lily Butler with Rosario “Tito” Peña)

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

I wish @kinolorber.com's Blu-ray included the UK cut as well as the US cut, but seeing Dan Duryea next to a British police box let me imagine what it would've been like if he'd guested on Doctor Who and that makes WALK A TIGHTROPE a noir well worth seeing. FULL REVIEW: comicon.com/2026/08/13/a...

Cover art for Kino Lorber's Blu-ray of WALK A TIGHTROPE

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Mo Ryan @moryan.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

All the adults working on the wizard bigot show made an active decision to endorse a vile campaign of hate. We do not in any way have to reward them for that, let alone sympathize with their plight. Which they CHOSE.

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

I don't know if the Final Destination films are supposed to be affirming but as a staunch precaution taker there's something extremely comforting about these movies & I'm chuffed I got to discuss my fave of the 6 w/ @sarahstubbssays.bsky.social, @carriehartzell.bsky.social, & @eversonpoe.bsky.social

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

💧Today would've been SYLVIA SIDNEY's birthday and for the 32nd issue of @tpmamagazine.bsky.social I got to interview Sidney's biographer, Scott O'Brien (Sylvia Sidney: Paid by the Tear)!💧

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Still difficult to find streaming (probably in no small part because it portrays Palestinians sympathetically), HANNA K. is available on Blu-ray from @kinolorber.com. FULL REVIEW: comicon.com/2026/08/05/h...

Jill Clayburgh's face on the Blu-ray cover for HANNA K.

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Steve Morris @stevewmorris.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

I’d really love to spread the word about my comic book website Shelfdust. If you could please follow @shelfdust.bsky.social on Bluesky I’d really appreciate it - and I think you’ll enjoy it too!

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Long overdue on Blu-ray, Deanna Durbin's film debut is a true ensemble movie. Now available from Universal, here's my review of THREE SMART GIRLS: comicon.com/2026/07/31/i...

Barbara Read, Deanna Durbin, and Nan Grey on the Blu-ray cover for THREE SMART GIRLS

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Could've seen this coming but having now gone through @deafcrocodile.bsky.social's DEFA FAIRY TALES box set I am pretty much putty in Romero the crocodile's hands, should Deaf Crocodile announce anymore DEFA titles in the future. My full review of the collection here: comicon.com/2026/07/24/b...

Artwork by Beth Morris for Deaf Crocodile's DEFA FAIRY TALES box set

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Preeti Chhibber @runwithskizzers.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Thank you for the great questions! This was a fun one!

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Ever wonder how teenage Nico Minoru and Wanda Maximoff would get along? It's all in HOUSE OF HARKNESS, a new graphic novel from Graphix and I got to interview @runwithskizzers.bsky.social about it: comicon.com/2026/07/23/t...

Wanda and Agatha on the cover for HOUSE OF HARKNESS (art by Jodi Nishijima and Kiichi Mizushima)

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

The Wild West just got wilder thanks to an inheritance plot in @urbanbarbarian.bsky.social & @davidferracci.bsky.social's new series THE DIRT BENEATH THE DEVIL. The 1st issue comes out next week from @madcavestudios.com but I got to interview Panosian & Ferracci here: comicon.com/2026/07/22/t...

Variant Cover by Travis Charest for 'The Dirt Beneath the Devil'

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

There's nothing like a fantasy story written by @sispurrier.bsky.social. On top of that, MISCHIEF OF MAGPIES sees him reteam w/artist @matiasbergara.bsky.social (CODA). The 1st issue is out from @dstlry.bsky.social but you can ✅️ out my interview w/Spurrier & Bergara here: comicon.com/2026/07/21/t...

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

First episode drops August 13th but officially have a trailer for BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DISCS, a new podcast launching soon as part of the @somefaveprod.bsky.social network and co-hosted by me(!) and Jerome Reuter: www.spreaker.com/episode/trai...

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

I hadn't realised how many of the characters in NIGHTMARE NEW YORK were inspired by real people, making this interview with @kekw-writer.bsky.social & David Roach a real eye opener & a treat as a history fan (the 2nd arc is currently running in @2000ad.bsky.social): comicon.com/2026/07/15/w...

Book 2 of NIGHTMARE NEW YORK started in 2000 AD Prog 2488 (pictured: Lil and her rat friend Selene)

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The Physical Media Advocate @tpmamagazine.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

This months’ edition of “Happy Birthday, Hollywood!” by Rachel Bellwoar focuses on the Third Doctor, Jon Pertwee. Rachel’s love of Pertwee (whose birthday is July 7) shines in this fun feature that focuses on “Worzel Gummidge.” Always a must-read! Available worldwide: l.linklyhq.com/l/1utJN

Banner for the column. The column's title is written over an image of the Hollywood hills. The Hollywood sign is in the bottom right corner in a lime green color. The name "Jon Pertwee" is written in the top right in white cursive writing. A black and white image of Pertwee is on the left side of the image above an author credit.

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

I don't know if I'll ever be as cool as Jessica Harper but I do know I had the best time talking to @chloesnotscared.bsky.social about one of my favorite musicals for their podcast CHLOE'S NOT SCARED: chloesnotscared.substack.com/p/24-phantom...

chloesnotscared.substack.com

24. Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

WE LOVE MUSICALS!

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Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 07/07/2026

Two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard is wearing a high quality mask at the start of the race. He said: “I hear already that there’s some sickness in some teams and I’ve had a history of being sick in my last two Grand Tours, so as you said: ‘Better safe than sorry.’” Great job! 👏

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Rachel @ziggystarlog.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Tony Rayns 100% was one of those critics where seeing his name on a release would often seal the deal and be a major selling point. One of my favorite Blu-rays to feature his work is @arrowvideo.bsky.social's TAISHO TRILOGY set

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