So! It is high time for me to catch up with one of my weaker gaps in my personal comic book pantheons: Grant Morrison's Batman run. This reading order article I stumbled upon is very helpful, although a bit cryptic when it comes to published trade paperbacks. But I figured I needed to catch up with some of its more pivotal figures first, so I'm still stuck reading Tales of the Demon (boy, ain't that early Ra's al Ghul stuff a mess to begin with? I thought he was the one training Batman but I must be confusing this story with the movies or something. My mind is not as focused and laser sharp when it comes to DC comic book lore as it used to, haha. Seriously, to think that I used to be a living DC encyclopedia back in the days.) 

Also catching up with The Rehearsal, a series that really overwhelmed me when it debuted. Season 2 is off to a very strong start too, almost even more meta than the first one, so quite fitting for a Grant Morrison-themed reading month!

The most incredible thing about this movie is that it works. As a B-grade motion picture, I mean. The definition of which being something I could've seen on an actual cinema screen back in the late '80s and thoroughly enjoyed for the fun romp that it is. The most amazing part is that Freaky Tales literally caught me off guard as I'd never even heard of it, and the Lord knows I've been meaning to keep in touch with that sort of clever, nostalgic movie fanfare. Freaky Tales is deeper than all recent films in that retro vein, and better written too. Even when it tries to be too clever, it is still highly watchable and always fun. Some gags are very cleverly brought together, and the movie's chapter structure is top notch. So, who made this? If I'm not mistaken, some random people-writers-directors from some recent random Marvel movies are responsible, which explains the sort of high profile sheen and incredible appearances by A-name list actors. Really really good stuff, which I'll revisit eventually!

Just unearthed a yellowed scan from the vaults, a personal relic titled ADD LIST 3, dated April 10, 1992. It’s a snapshot of my tape-trading teenage life, back when you mailed out dub after dub of brutal demos in exchange for someone else's lo-fi masterpieces. A quiet war of patience, hiss, and black ink.
This list was an add-on to my master tape catalog: the stuff I’d just acquired and was ready to trade. And 30+ years later? Honestly, it still stands up. A grimy time capsule of death, doom, thrash, hardcore, and some early techno-death mutations that still feel raw and weird in the best way.Honestly, I’d still listen to most of this today. A scene stitched together through flyers, letters, IRC's and blind trust. And no, I won’t be answering questions about my teenage sexual life or lack thereof. But I will talk about the brilliance of Repulsion rehearsals, or how Xysma's Doors cover still makes zero sense, but in a good way.

This morning, while making yogurt, I threw on an old Love Spirals Downwards album. Total random pick. I hadn’t listened to them in decades, and just like that, I was back in some strange corner of the ’90s. A twilight zone tucked between late ’80s dream pop and Twin Peaks-style jazz noir. Dreamy guitars, weightless vocals, everything wrapped in that soft, otherworldly haze. Pure 1993 bliss. Like an air bubble that never popped.
That album instantly triggered a memory: the Heavenly Voices compilations. A whole series of CDs that opened the door to a zillion like-minded bands I never would’ve found otherwise. Released by the German label Hyperium Records, they were the ultimate gateway drug to the ethereal scene. Some volumes even came with Zillo magazine, which back then was pretty much the sacred text of goth and darkwave heads.
There were five volumes in total (plus a bootleg sixth entry from Mexico!), featuring obscure artists from all over the globe. Always fronted by these spectral female voices that felt more like weather than sound. Stoa, Love Is Colder Than Death, Collection d’Arnell-Andréa, and of course, the mighty Cocteau Twins, they all lived in that space.
I think I got into it thanks to Semantic, the French distributor who carried the series. I even remember scoring a Best of Heavenly Voices disc—maybe it came with a magazine, maybe someone gave it to me. The details are foggy, like everything about those tracks. Soft, shimmering, half-remembered.
Now where the hell did I put the lactic ferments?