Links from Around the Interwebs
What? Did you think the holiday season let us off that light?
There is no rest for the busy, readers. We are doing our best to keep all the plates spinning as the days get colder and the holidays rush in, but that’s no easy feat in summer. In these weeks of autumn? Staying under the covers is awfully tempting, let’s put it that way.
But there are films to see, books to fund, news to share, and more. With that in mind, let’s take a look at what is on the schedule for as autumn fades into winter.
The first item on the list is from We’ll Go USA. It is the translation of the film Lone Samurai. Starring Shogen, Rama Ramadhan, Yayan Ruhian, and more, this is the trailer:
Lone Samurai Official Trailer (2025)
The film releases December 12, and you can find out more about this “Eastern” here at IMBD, but the story follows a samurai washed ashore on an island full of cannibals. Haunted by his past, surrounded by enemies, he must divine what is real and what is not. This ronin has to make a choice, an important one. Mark your calendars and be ready for it in the coming weeks!
Next on the list we have a campaign to fund a children’s picture book: The Little Drummer Bird. You can find more details at the link below:
Advent Story: The little Drummer Bird Picture Book Edition!
https://www.fundmycomic.com/campaign/Drumbird
The original Advent calendar which inspired this book was “a gift of story and sculpture.” The creators hope to reach $1,000 dollars so they can turn this calendar into a picture book, and there are thirty-seven days left in the campaign. Don’t miss out on this sweet little story! Back it now!
All right, let’s move on to Dispatch, a new superhero game available on Steam. Warning, there is a lot of language and some nudity in this material. If you want something more family friendly, Marvel Rivals is the better bet.
Dispatch is the story of a superhero forced to retire and become an office worker for a company that dispatches heroes to handle crises. The ArchCast has been playing the game and recently posted a review of it on his channel:
Dispatch Is the Beginning of a New Era, or the Return of One
Suffice it to say, Arch’s review of the game is promising indeed. He states that Dispatch is fun but it isn’t tongue-in-cheek or dark. The game takes the genre seriously while making good use of office comedy, as clips demonstrate that the humor does not overwhelm the story by forcing the characters to be goofy to “follow the script.”
The game’s TV series-style tale centers on Robert Robertson III, a normal human using the alias Mecha Man as he hunts for his father’s killer, the supervillain known as Shroud. With no powers, Robert uses the suit to do what he cannot, but he is unable to take Shroud down. His latest attempt to find the villain ends with the Mecha Man suit severely damaged, and Robert is destitute after years of trying to catch the villain. This appears to be the end of the line for him – until he is offered a job dispatching heroes to take care of threats around Los Angeles.
Once hired, Robert is put in charge of a team of former supervillains now working to redeem themselves. Players’ choices determine the ending, and while the game came out in October, it’s player base is growing. If you are a gamer and can handle the adult rating, then this is one story you may want to try!
Up next we have the after-action report from LegendFiction for their virtual online convention. LegendHaven is a virtual convention for authors, creatives, gamers, and more:
Upstream writers were in attendance, and our own Declan Finn took part in one of the panels during the event. He was also interviewed at LegendFiction here, as was Chris DiNote here, so be sure to check out their interviews at the LegendFiction substack. LegendHaven also had a successful costume contest, so be sure to look into that for next time, as another virtual convention will be held in April 2026. Don’t miss it!
Elsewhere on the interwebs, an enterprising group decided to take a remarkably pointed, loving poke at the House of Mouse:
Disney Villains Confront Disney CEO | Musical Animatic (Work in Progress)
Pixel Playhouse has more than Disney parody and critique in their video repertoire, though. Be sure to look into their channel after you watch the video. Their book boyfriend musical in particular is on point!
Then there is this tidbit from Emerging Revolutionary War, which has some exciting news about a new documentary series on PBS. Ken Burns brought a mini-series on the American Revolution to the small screen this past Sunday, so if you are an historian or just want something edifying to watch, you may wish to consider his series.
After all, next year is the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Let’s get ready to celebrate this November, because without that Revolution, would any of us be here? Go to Ken Burns’ own site to learn more!
Meanwhile, over in Taiwan, Takara Tomy is throwing a pop-up tour for Zoids! They are still celebrating the anime, which is observing it’s 25th anniversary. Check out this Japanese trailer for Zoids: Chaotic Century from T-Spark:
初代アニメ「zoids」ダイジェストpv/25周年記念ポップアップツアーin台湾開催記念
If you like Zoids or want to try the models for yourself, then here is even more good news! Hobby Lobby currently has two – yes TWO – Zoids model kits on their store shelves. These are the Blade Liger (RMZ-001) and the Command Wolf (RMZ-003), so if you are looking for a special Christmas gift, this is it!
If you are wondering what Zoids is, check out Kohdok’s review here (and his followup here) as well as MandatoryFunDay’s summation of all the Zoids anime here. You can also learn more here and here, if you are still curious. If the trailer did not cause you to wonder, well, now you have something to share with those who may find it more interesting!
Turning to more serious affairs, Jennifer Fulwiler, whose comedy special Shabby Chic was mentioned in the first Links from Around the Interwebs post, has had some really bad news lately. As she was gearing up for her newest comedy tour, they discovered her oldest daughter had medulloblastoma. The cancer is aggressive and required a ten to eleven hour brain surgery to remove the initial tumor, but Jen’s daughter – Lane – is now undergoing chemo to treat the rest of the cancer.
Jen and her family are Catholic, so any prayers you wish to send would be greatly appreciated in this time of trial. You can follow Jen here at her podcast or on Facebook, and as you may imagine, this is costing the Fulwilers a lot of money. Jen has described it as astronomically expensive.
The Fulwilers have a GoFundMe available here, and while they cleared the initial goal, they are still receiving donations. Given the extent of this cancer and it’s “enthusiasm” (read: aggression) any extra donations would be welcome. Jen also has a Patreon where she is more candid when describing her daughter’s ongoing treatments, so if directly donating to the GoFundMe is not something you can do, please consider signing up for her Patreon. Per a note on her site, if you have any stories or insights to share about this type of cancer, please send a note to the email address for Jen’s producer available at this link here.
Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated, so please consider leaving at least a comment on her youtube channel. The Fulwilers will be happy to receive whatever aid anyone may offer, no matter how small.
Last but not least, we have another movie to share. Titled Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, it may not be something you want the kids to watch. It also seems rather strange but it may yet be it’s own brand of fun:
GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE | Teaser Trailer | February 13 - Only in Theaters
It hits theaters February 13th of next year. If this movie looks of interest to you, be sure to mark your calendar for it. Good Luck, Have Fun, and definitely Don’t Die!
Well, that’s a wrap, readers. Did we miss anything? Are there films you are looking forward to which we should have included? Campaigns that need funding? If so, drop us a line in the comments so we can post it next time!
Oh, brr, need to grab another sweater. Woof, if autumn is this cold, then winter is going to be a doozy….
I saw those two Zoids models at our local Hobby Lobby just last week! Really hoping this means Zoids will be making a comeback!