In the comments to these weekly posts (and only these posts), it's your chance to go as off topic as you like.

Talk about non-comics stuff, thread derail, and just generally chat among yourselves.

The intent of these posts is to chat and have some fun and, sure, vent a little as required. Reasoned debate is fine, as always, but if you have to ask if something is going over the line, think carefully before posting please.

Normal board rules about conduct and behaviour still apply, of course.

It's been suggested that, if discussing spoilers for recent media events, it might be advisable to consider using the rot13 method to prevent other members seeing spoilers in passing.

The world situation is the world situation. If you're following the news, you know it as much as I do, if you're not, then there are better sources than scans_daily. But please, no doomscrolling, for your own sake.

In the UK, new, repressive rues intended to "protect the children from porn", have ended up with Spotify requiring facial recognition to ensure that children aren't listening to adult lyrics. A cycnical soul would suggest this is going to end up with a sharp spike in VPN usage and/or pirating having a second heyday.

It's getting hard and harder to ignore the increasingly desperate attempts by the US administation to deflect from the ongoing Espstein scandal and possibly from the upcoming diplomatic car-crash which will be the (likely) US/Russia-only discussions about the invasion of Ukraine, which are taking place later this week.

The chosen distraction this time is the mobilisation of the National Guard in Washington allegedly to combat rising crime (Which has actually been falling for several years)

Speaking of hostile infestations (too subtle a swgue?), Alien: Earth lands this week.

And speaking of macabre scenes... okay, I'll stop now, the first part of "Wednesday" season 2 arrived on Netflix

To end on a happier note, shooting for "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" has started in Glasgow, and Tom Holland has been being utterly delightful with a small fan who showed up to watch. Media stunt? I don't care, a small child met their hero, and that's always going to melt this shrivelled walnut of a heart.