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randookla.bsky.social
Rand Posts About Comics and Music
@randookla.bsky.social
1.1K followers 180 following 2.5K posts
Librarian, musician (Ookla the Mok, Via Bella, Disney’s Fillmore theme), Major Spoilers contributor, comic book editor (Crashdown)

#IHadThatComic #AlbumsWorthOwning

https://linktr.ee/randbellavia
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randookla.bsky.social
Photo of Gene Wilder from Young Frankenstein saying, “Nice grouping!”
November 27, 2025 at 11:40 PM
randookla.bsky.social
Reba says hello.

#CatsofBluesky
#RebatheSiberian
Reba, a Siberian cat, sits on a couch arm and looks directly at the camera.
November 23, 2025 at 9:43 PM
randookla.bsky.social
For those who long for the good old days, before comics got all political, here’s a page from Avengers 148 (released in 1976).

#ComicSky
November 17, 2025 at 2:51 PM
randookla.bsky.social
Rick Veitch says this is really happening. (DC will finally publish the cancelled issue of Swamp Thing that prematurely ended Veitch’s run.)
New cover to Swamp Thing 88, which should have been published in 1989, and will be published soon: Swamp Thing holds a lamb in his arms, his eyes closed in serenity.
October 10, 2025 at 4:44 PM
randookla.bsky.social
Mark you calendars! New #ViaBella EP coming out on October 31!

Track listing:

1. Everything Happens Here
2. The Will and the Hope
3. Everything Hurts
4. Rocket Bye Baby
5. After the Storm

(EP cover by @robdumo.bsky.social)
cover to The Hope EP by Via Bella: A Sesame Street-like street sign that says "The Hope EP" with "2 3 4" as the house number is iin front of a brick wall with the Via Bella logo spray painted on it. Art by Rob Dumo
September 19, 2025 at 1:52 PM
randookla.bsky.social
49 years ago today The #MuppetShow debuted. I was there for it, but so young that I thought Scooter's name was Gopher for longer than you'd think.
1976 poster for the The Muppet Show, featuring Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Dr. Teeth, Scooter, Animal, and Rowlf the Dog.
September 5, 2025 at 6:15 PM
randookla.bsky.social
OTD in 1998, @allredmd.bsky.social and Bernie Mireault (RIP) teamed up to tell a great story featuring their greatest individual creations in the second (and final) issue of Madman Jam. It seems like not calling this the "The Madman Jam Jam" was a missed opportunity.
cover to Madman Jam 2: A bearded man in a suit hold two oversized die, one with images of The Jam, the other with images of Madman. Cover by Michael Allred and Bernie Mireault. Colors by Laura Allred.
August 19, 2025 at 4:11 PM
randookla.bsky.social
New Ookla the Mok out tomorrow! It's also Bandcamp Friday, which means we get a bigger cut on August 1.

ooklathemok.bandcamp.com

The EP features our Ska/Reggae cover of #TomLehrer 's "Folk Song Army," as well as songs about #BillCipher and #InvaderZim

#GravityFalls
#NerdRock
#Filk
#TheFuMP
cover to the Ookla the Mok EP Folk Song Army Men
July 31, 2025 at 7:03 PM
randookla.bsky.social
This issue also includes a great exchange between Dream and Green Lantern, made even better because we know (but Kyle doesn't) that Daniel is as much under Morpheus' shadow and Kyle is under Hal's.

[4/4]
panels from JLA 22: Dream tells Green Lantern that he will surpass Hal Jordan's legacy, because Kyle knows the one thing Hal never did: fear.
July 22, 2025 at 6:21 PM
randookla.bsky.social
You see, Michael is trapped in the "real" world. But Superman can hear his cries for help across dimension. And the only way for the JLA to save him is to cross over through Dream's realm. And the JLA have to give up their powers to cross over. And Grant Morrison gets Superman.

[3/4]
panel from JLA 22: Superman says, "We have no powers, there are millions of them and there's a child in there who needs u sto save the world. Let's go."
July 22, 2025 at 6:18 PM
randookla.bsky.social
Then, you slowly realize that you’re reading a horror story. The combination of horror and hope on that second page is remarkable. Because Grant Morrison gets Superman.

[2/4]
panels from JLA 22: Michael's father bursts into his room with a shocking surprise. panels from JLA 22: Starro has taken over Michael's family. In desperation, Michael cries out to Superman for help.
July 22, 2025 at 6:15 PM
randookla.bsky.social
OTD in 1998, #JLA 22 was released. #GrantMorrison gets #Superman. They believe that Superman has to exist. Their proof? If Superman didn’t exist, someone would just create him.

Oh yeah, and the Sandman (the Daniel version of Dream) makes a rare DCU appearance!

[1/4]

#IHadThatComic
cover to JLA 22: The Sandman (Daniel) holds a clear globe in his hand that is filled with sand and Wonder Woman, Superman, and Green Lantern, all asleep. Cover by Howard Porter panels from JLA 22: a boy named Michael Haney draws superheroes, and realizes that something (spoiler warning: it's Superman) is missing. panels from JLA 22: Michael Haney is confronted by Sandman, who reveals Superman's logo on Michael's drawing. Sandman tells Michael "Believe and you will be saved."
July 22, 2025 at 6:12 PM
randookla.bsky.social
OTD in 2021, I bought these comics:

Ascender 17 by @jefflemire171.bsky.social & @duss005.bsky.social

Bermuda 1 by #JohnLayman & #NickBradshaw

Black Hammer: Reborn 2 by #JeffLemire & @caitlinyarsky.bsky.social

Proctor Valley Road 5 by #GrantMorrison, #AlexChild & #NaomiFranquiz

#IHadThatComic
cover to Ascender 17: Tim-21 stands, clearly damaged, but ready for combat. cover by Dustin Nguyen cover to Bermuda 1: Bermuda grins slyly and holds a dagger toward the reader cover by Nick Bradshaw cover to Black Hammer: Reborn 2: Skulldigger stands on the head of a giant monster, smashing it with a skull on a chain cover by Caitlin Yarsky cover to Proctor Valley Road 5: Four girls walk out of a cave into the sunset, looking back at the reader cover by Naomi Franquiz
July 21, 2025 at 7:49 PM
randookla.bsky.social
The Process Edition is glorious and absolutely worth seeking out. It’s oversized, and goes *deep* behind the scenes of the entire creation and execution, with more than triple the page count of the original.
Cover to the Pulp Process Edition graphic novel
July 20, 2025 at 6:17 PM
randookla.bsky.social
By the end of the issue, the old man is dead, and Katar is ready to use his wings to return to Thanagar and kick some ass, third-act style.

[5/5]
panels form Hawkworld 2: Katar buries the old priest.
July 18, 2025 at 4:12 PM
randookla.bsky.social
Conveniently, Katar’s prison buddy is prepared to immediately begin Katar’s Jedi training.

[4/5]
panels from Hawkworld 2: Katar is trained in swordplay by the old priest, who prays for everything, including Katar.
July 18, 2025 at 4:11 PM
randookla.bsky.social
This twist feels a bit more obvious now, but it really worked for me in 1989.

[3/5]
panels from Hawkworld 2: Katar sees that the man he murdered has wings of his own, and the wings he was making were meant for Katar.
July 18, 2025 at 4:09 PM
randookla.bsky.social
Katar shares his exile with two others. One day he stumbles upon one of them creating a (thematically significant) means of escape.

Katar kills the man and is confronted by the island’s other inhabitant.

[2/5]
panel from Hawkworld 2: Katar sees someone making wings, presumably so they can escape the island. panels from Hawkworld 2: Katar justified murder in his quest to have wings again.
July 18, 2025 at 4:08 PM
randookla.bsky.social
OTD in 1989, #TimothyTruman 's Hawkworld 2 was released. This fantastic reimagining is famously hard to reconcile with Hawkman’s long history, but just strap in and enjoy the ride.

Following the events of issue one, we find our (hawk)man looking at some hard time.

[1/5]

#IHadThatComic
cover to Hawkworld 2: Hawkman stands, staring soberly and holding a recently fired gun. Text: "Book Two: Freefall" cover by Timothy Truman panels from Hawkworld 2 showing a sad, wingless Hawkman in exile on an island.
July 18, 2025 at 4:05 PM
randookla.bsky.social
OTD in 2009, #DavidMazzucchelli released the masterful #AsteriosPolyp. Rarely has so much thought been put into the storytelling potential of color and shape in a graphic novel. This book is stunning visually and philosophically, and I need to read it again.

#IHadThatComic
cover to Asterios Polyp: a black and white illustration of Asterios standing and smoking a cigarette. There are overlapping horizontal blue and red boxes that partially cover the title and figure, creating purple boxes where they intersect. Cover by David Mazzucchelli
July 7, 2025 at 2:23 PM
randookla.bsky.social
Please repost with something green
Cover to Ookla the Mok’s forthcoming EP Folk Song Army Men, out August 1st!
July 2, 2025 at 11:06 PM
randookla.bsky.social
Did the Soldier kill Clyde and continue to carry his burden, or did Clyde relent and take on the mantle of the Unknown Soldier? The narrative is intentionally unclear, and the answer to the question is left entirely up to the reader.

5/5
panels from Unknown Solider 4: The Unknown Soldier (or perhaps Clyde) leans on a flagpole and says, "He is an American solider, known but to God. And he rests in honored glory."
July 2, 2025 at 8:59 PM
randookla.bsky.social
Then we cut abruptly to the following morning, where a medical examiner bring us up to date and asks an important question.

4/5
panels from Unknown Soldier 4: a medical examiner stands nears the gravesite and says, "...this one grave's been opened and the body disinterred. Then it's like somebody dropped a second body in... They dropped two, possibly three phosphorus grenades in on top of them. It's a real mess in there. White phosphorus makes identification almost impossible, but we can distinguish the grave's, uh, owner, because of the embalming material. That stuff burns away a lot faster than flesh. So the question is who the hell's the other guy?"
July 2, 2025 at 8:57 PM
randookla.bsky.social
Clyde rejects this proposal, and the very idea of the Unknown Soldier, who responds that either Clyde kill him or he will kill Clyde.

3/5
panels from Unknown Solider 4: Clyde denies the US, saying, "You are not an American solider. I deny your legacy. I will not wash the blood off your hands and onto mine."
July 2, 2025 at 8:52 PM
randookla.bsky.social
Having sent Clyde, our protagonist, on a merry chase for three issues, the Unknown Soldier finally reveals his master plan: Clyde must kill him and take over as the new Unknown Soldier.

2/5
panels from Unknown Soldier 4: The US explains to Clyde that he must replace him. panels from Unknown Solider 4: The US tells Clyde that "There has to be a man to make a difference. It can't be me, but there has to be. You have to do this."
July 2, 2025 at 8:49 PM