After decades upon decades of the Big Two being the place to go for comics, with distribution ranging from the classic spinner rack at the corner drug store to a direct sales market structure, a new way of getting comics has been gaining traction: Crowdfunding. Whether through Kickstarter, Indiegogo, or other means, creators have found ways to take charge of their ideas and bring them to the masses without having to dilute them through the traditional channels.

One of those projects that's been generating a lot of buzz is LITTLE GIRL LETHAL, starring the enigmatic and sexy Sugar Lightspeed. But as intriguing and arousing as the artwork appears, what is LITTLE GIRL LETHAL all about?

We sat down for a chat with Sugar's creator, "Slick" Jimmy Love, to get an in-depth and personal look at the world next door -- a world of sexy assassins where seedy sins aren't necessarily hidden in the shadows; the world of Sugar Lightspeed."

I don't get it. Any of it. Clearly, J.K. Rowling's latest film franchise is beyond me. That bothers me a bit because I greatly enjoyed the Harry Potter films, except for the Deathly Hallows Part One, or as I call it, "The one where the puberty-angsty teen wizards go camping and whine at each other for almost three hours." Hey, at least I understood what they were doing and why, I just thought it was terribly boring. 

For all it's suspense, this episode of RIVERDALE isn't without some problems.

Betty (LILI REINHART), having learned the dark secret behind the game Griffons and Gargoyles and it's connection to the last generation, finds Jughead (COLE SPROUSE) steeped in the lore of the game as he continues to progress in it, in his attempt to get into the mind of the person behind it -- and the murders that follow it. The game is so addictive that even the aloof Cheryl Blossom (MADELAINE PETSCH) has gone full-on cosplay geek in the roleplay involved. And Jug is already finding secrets that confirms Griffons and Gargoyles is tied specifically to Riverdale itself: the mythical land, Eldevair, is an anagram for their town.

While it didn't get off the ground very fast, after it was announced, SYFY produced a planet-shattering 1st season that exceeded most expectations.

With jaw-dropping plot twists and shocking revelations, KRYPTON "flipped the table" and turned everything we knew about Superman's lineage and history on its head. Starring Cameron Cuffe as Seg-El, "Superman's Grandfather", Krypton features a clash of ideologies, as a society that thrives off of its caste system is threatened by multiple outside sources.

There are too few all-ages books on the shelves these days, and even fewer that feature characters which parents can recognize and, thus, feel comfortable about when selecting comics for their kids.

Dynamite Comics holds the potential to make some great headway into this market with their licensing of the franchise RAINBOW BRITE, and utilizing the characters to create a superheroic mythos.

Young Wisp has disappeared from Earth, having been chased by monsters that were eating -- of all things -- the color blue from items in her neighborhood late at night. Meeting up with the friendly creature known as Twinkle, she ends up teleporting to Rainbow Land -- which is nothing at all like it's name, having been drained of all colors by the King of Shadows and his ally, Murky Dismal, a scientist who has found a way to mine color for fuel. The King of Shadows has found ways to drain the light from everyone in the land, turning them to creatures of darkness.

Disney's Aladdin brings the usual splendor and fun you've come to expect from a Disney Broadway production with its limited St. Louis premiere engagement at the fabulous Fox Theatre, running November 7 - 25, 2018. Please note that an early version of Aladdin played the Muny in Forest Park back in 2012, and this show is from the Broadway script, not the earlier production. 

For the better part of the last year, the face and voice of Comicsgate has been Ethan Van Sciver, whose YouTube channel "ComicArtistPro Secrets" garnered massive audiences for livestreams (with over 80,000 subscribers) and became, by default and by name, Comicsgate Live.

No matter how fastidious you are in maintaining your comic shop pull list in your never-ending battle to make sure you don't miss anything good (or accidentally waste your money on something not so much), it never hurts to do a last minute check on what's coming out this week so you can make those fine-tuned adjustments.

Here are our looks at this week's upcoming comics, and our hot takes on whether they're a pick or a pan. Your mileage may vary.

Carol Burnett is a national treasure. Her groundbreaking television variety show "Carol Burnett and Friends" propelled her to super-stardom. Now 84, the legendary performer returned to St. Louis, Mo, where she once graced the stage of The Muny opposite Rock Hudson in "I Do! I Do!" This time she had the Stiefel Theatre stage all to herself for "Carol Burnett, an Evening of Laughter and Reflection."

Following up on his chronicling of the Justice League's 100 Greatest Moments, comics historian and science fiction veteran Robert Greenberger manages to top himself with DC Comics Super Heroines: 100 Greatest Moments. And while I wasn't particularly fond of the artwork selected for the packaging, finding it not particularly attractive, there's an adage about "books and covers" that comes into play.

This beautiful hardcover book isn't one that you rush through. You linger over each page and, if you're like me, you find yourself in one of two places: you're either recalling happily the first time you saw this event happen, perhaps when it was new to everyone, or you find yourself discovering something you've never known happened and now have something to seek out and add to your collection.

As dark as RIVERDALE has gotten -- and remains even in this episode -- this was a fun chapter in that we get to go back to the late 80s / early 90s and see all the Riverdale parents when they were high school students -- played by the actors who portray their children in the current-time setting of the series.

When Alice Cooper (MADCHEN AMICK) realizes Betty (LILI REINHART) isn't going to drop her investigation into the deadly game Griffins & Gargoyles, she sits her down and reveals to her a dark chapter from her past, back when she was Alice Smith, a southside teen who had just discovered she was pregnant. When she get into a catfight with uptight Penelope Blossom (MADELAINE PETSCH), involving Sierra Samuels (ASHLEIGH MURRAY) and Hermione Gomez (CAMILA MENDES), the four girls find themselves in Saturday detention, joined by Fred Andrews (KJ APA) and FP Jones Jr (COLE SPROUSE).

So here's what we know going into JAMES BOND 007 #1 from Dynamite Comics. There's a Russian guy who has a thing, and he's talking to some Asian guys about the thing. We don't know what the thing is, and unless you go into Google Translate, you have no idea what they're talking about. (Note to comics writers: We don't mind the translation text boxes. Honest.) Fortunately, they all quickly transition to English, just in time for whatever deal they're working to get busted up by a an Asian martial artist with a familiar looking chapeau.

Yes, whatever the Russian is selling, the fan-favorite Bond franchise henchman, Oddjob, wants it. But Oddjob is no longer a strong, silent type, nor is he a mere henchman in this Greg Pak / Marc Laming vision of Ian Fleming's classic characters. He's roguish, charming, outgoing -- in many ways, he's the Korean foil to Bond in many ways and traits.

The year 1992 marked a turning point for animated superhero adventure. After years of shows like SUPER FRIENDS and THE NEW ADVENTURES OF BATMAN AND ROBIN, the time was ripe for the Dark Knight to return to the screen, especially after the second coming of Batmania that followed the Tim Burton film starring Michael Keaton. Rumors began swirling on the prenatal Internet (BBSs in those days) of an animated Batman in the works, and there was even leaked a writers bible for the series written by J.M. Straczynski.  

The latest twist in the case of MEYER VS. WAID, which alleges comics writer Mark Waid engaged in tortious interference (more about that here), has been filed by his attorney, Mark S. Zaid. Zaid has filed a motion for dismissal, based on the claims that the suit is filed in the wrong jurisdiction, citing that Waid is a citizen of Calfornia, and has no business contacts in Texas. Specifically, in places, the motion states:

"Plaintiff brought this suit against Mr. Waid, a California citizen with no contacts with Texas..."

"Plaintiff's Complaint fails to identify any allegegations or facts establishing any connection between Mr. Waid and Texas."

The popularity of anime cannot and should not be underestimated. Over the years it has become hugely popular and inclusive in the sense that there’s anime that will suit everyone’s taste. The genre has provided the inspiration for a number of gaming developers, including leading casino and bingo brand mFortune, who actually create their very own games. There are many anime-based games on the market, which have been a hit with players, but what about anime games which have gone on to be successful movies too? Well, we’ve devised a list of some of the best below.

Pokemon

No matter how fastidious you are in maintaining your comic shop pull list in your never-ending battle to make sure you don't miss anything good (or accidentally waste your money on something not so much), it never hurts to do a last minute check on what's coming out this week so you can make those fine-tuned adjustments.

Here are our looks at this week's upcoming comics, and our hot takes on whether they're a pick or a pan. Your mileage may vary.

For the past three issues of this miniseries, the villains of Gotham have been putting into place their scheme to take over the adults of Riverdale, a town without a caped crusader to stand in their way. While Batman tracked down the 'electronic book' stolen by Bookworm, Robin and Batgirl responded to the call for help, and are only now seeing the depth of the villain infestation in Riverdale.

As Catwoman infiltrates Riverdale High to ply her feminine wiles on high school boys (not creepy at all), Robin and Batgirl get captured, and are placed in the same mind-melting trap where the Clown Prince of Crime has been holding Jughead prisoner.

Mid 1970s music critics ridiculed Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” when it was released as the first single from their A Night at the Opera album in 1975. Fans, on the other hand, pushed the song to number one in the United Kingdom. Bryan Singer’s latest film, also entitled “Bohemian Rhapsody,” likewise received less-than-stellar praise by current movie critics, so if history repeats itself Queen fans will likely push the film to number one when it opens November 2, 2018.

For the most part, Tom King does a fantastic job delving deeper into the mystery of HEROES IN CRISIS, leaving us with more clues but coming no closer to the truth of who massacred all the heroes (and villains) who were being treated at Sanctuary, the pscyho-therapy institute created by Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman for super-people to come to deal with their post-traumatic stress.

A crucial clue to the mystery is discovered during an autopsy conducted on Commander Steel by the Trinity. Batman extracts an object (that apparently Superman couldn't detect with his x-ray vision) that would almost clearly indicate Harley Quinn commited the crime. But when they close in on her, she maintains her claim that it was actually fellow patient Booster Gold who did the deed -- and she gets away after casting serious suspicion on Batman that the other two cannot ignore.

MIDNIGHT MYSTERY combines elements of some of the more understatedly cool detective and supernatural series that have come over the years. The tone is very Raymond Chandler, the art is reminescent of early Darwyn Cooke, and the story is evocative of the best of KOLCHAK, THE NIGHT STALKER and THE X FILES.

Ezekiel "Zeke" King is a private detective of the hard-boiled, no-nonsense variety. He records his cases and thoughts on old-fashioned reel-to-reel tapes, leaving an archive of musings of the greater questions of the universe. As this premiere issue opens, Zeke has been hired by the estate of a former horror movie host to find his long-lost heir. The bulk of the issue is then devoted to who Roland Blackwood -- the actor behind the creepy Count Karloff persona -- truly is and how his life came to be what it was. After that, Zeke does the legwork to find the young man who is Blackwood's illegitimate son, bringing him to the estate to claim that which is now lawfully his.