Author: somegeektoldme@gmail.com

Free Comic Book Day vs Comics Giveaway Day

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Comics

2025 is drawing to a close, not just in this reality where we live on a globe,1 but also on this informative, insightful, and popular blog. That being the case, I wanted to share some news that, in my candid opinion, is a quirky mix of fascination and pettiness.

Since the word in the title heavily implies that I’m a geek, which is correct and true, Some Geek Told Me strives to include content about comics from time to time. And as any follower of pop culture will know, the first Saturday of May is Free Comic Book Day (FCBD).

This event takes place all over the world and celebrates pop culture through cosplay, providing free comic books, typically at comic book stores.

Every year, I usually write a blog post about it, which also includes a few posts on Twitter and Mastodon, just to celebrate this event. That in itself is not particularly newsworthy, I mean, a comic-reading geek who loves FCBD; what a shock! Breaking news, the Pope is Catholic and water is wet!

Bear with me for a few more moments, because like Columbo or Monk delivering their theory, I’m going somewhere with this.

Around November, six months before the event, the comics published for FCBD from the Gold and Silver Sponsors are promoted through various media outlets. This allows retailers and customers to begin their planning.

Ok, thanks for that interesting titbit, Scott, but what’s that got to do with the price of Tesla stock?

Good point, and I do love your questions!

Image by Thio ardiansyah from Pixabay

After a recent announcement, next year’s FCBD is going to be wild. Now, that could be a positive or negative thing, as it’s going to introduce a feud that could rival Coca-Cola vs Pepsi, Adidas vs Puma, McDonald’s vs Burger King, Conservatism vs Progressives, or Flat Earthers vs Gravity.

Some people say there is a Salt and Vinegar/Sour Cream and Chives rivalry. I would say unto thee, nay. There is no rivalry, because one is clearly superior to the other. I beseech you to search your heart, to know which one I speak of.

As always, some much-needed context is needed to explain a truly bizarre and petty showdown.

Since its inception in 2002, before Facebook and 6-7 took over the world, FCBD was owned and operated by Diamond Comic Distributors. Diamond, as it was also known, was founded in 1982, just in time for Krull. It was a massive distributor that worked with retailers by supplying comic books, toys, and anything else pop culture related, not only in North America, but around the world.

Along the way, Diamond purchased other companies and brought them under its corporate umbrella. The way I have understood it, Diamond had a monopoly when it came to comic distribution. Now, a few interesting things happened in the recent past that concerned Diamond and had immense repercussions.

In 2020, DC Comics revealed that they would be splitting from Diamond and giving their business to Penguin Random House, UCS Comic Distributors and Lunar Distribution. Remember Penguin and Lunar, because those names are going to come back and haunt this blog post.

Marvel Comics and IDW Publishing followed DC’s move in 2021 and shifted their business away from Diamond, and gave it to…wait for it…Penguin. I’m not an expert on comic book distribution, but I know deals and counter-deals were done with these companies across the distribution industry; however, these break-ups hurt Diamond.

Credit: Diamond Distribution/Universal Distribution

In January 2025, Diamond filed for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and some of its assets were eventually sold to two companies: Universal Distribution and Ad Populum. The two companies divided the assets and started taking control of the various operations, among multiple lawsuits.

During the year, things got worse for Diamond, with layoffs and more companies like Dynamite Entertainment, Dark Horse Comics and BOOM! Studios cut ties with them. This resulted in more of Diamond’s companies having to be sold off.

Sadly, in December 2025, Diamond moved from a Chapter 11 case to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which, as I understood it, meant liquidation. Whether this could have been avoided or not, I have no idea, but this is the result: the rights to Free Comic Book Day and its name were purchased by Universal Distribution.

Basically, if Diamond owned FCBD, and if Universal Distribution now owns Diamond, then Universal Distribution owns FCBD as well. Just like how 20th Century Fox owned the rights to the Alien franchise, but Disney now owns 20th Century Fox, so that means Ellen Ripley is technically a Disney Princess.

FCBD is happening on 2nd May 2026, so going forward, Free Comic Book Day is now owned and operated by Universal Distribution, but this decision is not universally loved.2 With me so far? Great, because cue the pettiness and rivalry.

At the time of writing this blog, the 2026 edition of FCBD is going to look a little different. Do you remember Penguin and Lunar? Their return to the conversation is now imminent.

The way I understand the upcoming debacle is that while Universal was working with publishers to arrange the 2026 FCBD comics, Penguin did not reach a deal with Universal about the distribution of the comics. This also covered the use of the FCBD name.

This has culminated in a snowball filled with money and comics. On the same day that Universal released information concerning the first wave of publishers involved in 2026 Free Comic Book Day; remember the same day, Penguin released a statement outlining that the publishers connected to them and Lunar will be creating their own “Free Comic Book Day” event.

Credit: Penguin Random House

The new event is called Comics Giveaway Day (CGD), and what can only be described as a gangster move from Penguin and Lunar, the event is scheduled for 2nd May. I know, right? Planning to do a separate and independent event celebrating comics and pop culture is one thing, but it’s another to set on the same day as FCBD!

The CGD comics will have their own logo, as well as age-appropriate banners, like the FCBD comics.

As the crow flies, two events are competing to hand out free comics to us at local book stores on 2nd May 2026. One is Free Comic Book Day, which is being run by Universal Distribution, including current sponsors like Archie Comics, DC Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, Image Comics, Mad Cave, Oni Press, Titan Comics, Rekcah Comics, Vault Comics, and Udon Entertainment, but also Upper Deck and Wizards of the Coast.

The second is Comics Giveaway Day, being organised by Penguin Random House, which features publishers like BOOM! Studios, Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, Ignition Press, Kodansha Comics, Marvel Comics, Penguin Young Readers, RH Childrens Books, Ten Speed Graphic, Tokyopop, and Wattpad Webtoon Studio.

The CGD sponsors and comics have been revealed, but at the time of writing, the FCBD sponsors have been revealed, but not the actual titles. All of the sponsors for the FCBD and CGD comics are subject to change, with more sponsors expected to be added.

I live at least 200 km from a comic book store, so how the 2nd May’s events are going to look like for retailers and customers is up for debate, because things could change.

For all we know, sponsors could swap to the other event, which would only add chaos to an already messy break-up. To me, it’s like your parents have broken up and planned two separate birthday parties for you, each at the same location, at the same time, and on the same day. As I said, it seems quite petty and ridiculous. Entertaining and interesting, yes, but still petty and ridiculous.

Will Comics Giveaway Day become an annual event, or will it only last one year? Are you Team FCBD, Team CGD, you don’t mind which one, or you don’t care at all? Will you be attending an event on 2nd May? As always, please let me know.

And that brings the final blog post of 2025 for Some Geek Told Me to an end, at least in the long-winded version. The next one will be coming out on Thursday for Christmas, but it will be much shorter. From there, my Christmas break begins, where I’ll be stepping away from this blog for a holiday. I’ll talk more about that on Christmas Day.

Also, because of the difference in time zones, New Zealand is currently UTC+13, so don’t panic if you receive the post on Christmas Eve. I haven’t got it wrong.

Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, ask Santa for the unredacted Epstein files, and I’ll see you on Christmas morning.

1 Here’s a shout out to Eratosthenes.

2 The pun was very much intended.

Is there anything better than the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace? Hold my beer.

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn People, Politics

I had originally planned to write about something else this week, but after learning about a particular piece of news, the die was cast, and the decision was no longer mine to make.

Just in case you’re a very unlucky person and have not been following the news, there has been a recent development in the administration of peace in the United States. The United States Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., which is run by the United States Congress, has been unselfishly renamed after everybody’s favourite world leader, as the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace. Naming a building after yourself is rather classy, especially if it’s a government building.

This compelling and authentic move reflects President Trump’s desire for peace in the United States and around the world; except for Yemen, the European Union, Venezuela, Portland, Iran, Mexico, Canada, Chicago, and Greenland, but they don’t count.

To prove this point, President Trump was awarded the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize recently, which in no way panders to his fragile ego. That is just garbage, spun by fake news outlets that believe in accountability and justice.

Like President Trump, I am very humble, and I would like to acknowledge The Daily Show for giving me the idea for this informative article. Credit where credit is due. On behalf of 100% of the staff at Some Geek Told Me, I would like to thank The Daily Show for the inspiring idea, as well as President Trump for pursuing peace, because he can stop wars that don’t even exist! What a role model!

Credit: BBC & Getty Images

Because President Trump is a bastion for peace in a world that seems divided by President Trump, I have collected some other clinics, institutes, academies, and other learning centres that could be renamed, like the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace.

Sadly, I was born outside of the United States and away from President Trump’s bigly protection, so some of my selections may not be familiar to my international readers, but my New Zealand readers will understand.

And with that, let’s turn the page and begin now.

  • The Christopher Luxon Entitlement Academy
  • The Winston Peters Centre of Cultural Diversity
  • The Brian Tamaki LGBTQIA+ Appreciation Institute
  • The David Seymour Food Nutrition Clinic
  • The Pauline Hanson Centre of Islamic-Awareness
  • The Vladimir Putin Geography Academy
  • The Kim Jong Un Institute of Human Rights
  • The Viktor Orbán Centre for Free Speech
  • The Alexander Lukashenko Institute of Democracy
  • The Bashar al-Assad Anti-Corruption Institute
  • The Benjamin Netanyahu Anti-Genocide Centre
  • The Xi Jinping Institute for the Protection of the Uyghurs
  • The Nigel Farage Centre of Tolerance and Inclusion
  • The Kristi Noem Gun Safety School
  • The JD Vance Museum of Furniture
  • The RFK Jr Centre for Preventable Childhood Diseases
  • The Marco Rubio School of Fawning and Grovelling
  • The Sean Duffy Centre of Climate Change
  • The Lauren Boebert Gender-Affirming Clinic
  • The Marjorie Taylor Greene Institute for Autism Awareness
  • The Ted Cruz Free Abortion Clinic
  • The Elon Musk Family Planning Clinic
  • The Jeff Bezos Centre for Independent Book Sellers
  • The Bob Iger School of Business Ethnics
  • The Patrick W. Smith Academy of Accountability
  • The Darren Woods Museum of Environmental Disasters
  • The Anthony Hopkins Academy of Method Acting
  • The Neil deGrasse Tyson Flat Earth Centre
  • The Jonathan Pie Anti-Profanity School
  • The Alex Jones Meditation Institute
  • The Nicholas Cage Institute of Marriage Counselling 
  • The Rassie Erasmus Centre of Sports Ethnics
  • The Neymar School of Acting
  • The Cristiano Ronaldo Centre for Modesty and Humbleness

And I would like to close with a post humorous choice:

  • The J. R. R. Tolkien Memorial Institute for Concise Writing

So, how did I do? Did I miss any selections? As always, please let me know.

I hope you liked this week’s rant as much as I liked writing it. Next week will be the last proper blog post before I head off into the sunset for a much-needed break, since running a highly successful blog takes its toll.

Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, watch the Supergirl trailer, and I’ll see you next week.

Geographical Misconceptions: Part Three

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Geography

I seem to be on a roll of adding to the diverse range of my previous blog posts. In 2021, I published the first Geographical Misconceptions blog post, and two years later, I published the second. Since it appears it takes me two years to create one of these, which is the same rate at which a Sonic the Hedgehog movie is released, I thought I would continue that tradition.

To recap what I’m talking about when I mention misconceptions, I’m referring to a piece of information that people believe to be true, that in reality is false. But before I continue, why should I care about misconceptions that are geographical in nature?

To be honest, some misconceptions are innocent and localised, but others are widespread. When I hear misconceptions, they grind my gears, so the Vulcan part of me is compelled to insert logic into the conversation and to push back against the misconception. 1

The biggest talking point is that I don’t want adults continuing to spread the incorrect information to other adults, but mainly I don’t want children being taught these misconceptions, because they will grow up believing them to be true, have children of their own and continue to spread the misconceptions. That and eating Sour Cream and Chives. Kids need to be aware of the dangers of that flavour, since “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”. 2

So, let’s pull up our socks, step into our gumboots and traverse into the unknown that is a Some Geek Told Me blog post, and discuss some geographical misconceptions that get my undies in a twist. Lead on!

Image by Gundula Vogel from Pixabay

The Amazon is the longest river in the world

Anybody repeating this misconception could be forgiven, because it’s a close call. The Amazon River is one of the longest rivers in the world, spanning a whopping 6,400 km across seven countries in South America. However, this would be a strange misconception if the Amazon were, in fact, the longest river in the world.

The Amazon River is the second-longest river in the world. The gold medal goes to the Nile River, which stretches across 11 African countries, roughly 6,650 km.

Nile River basin and its drainage network. Credit: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

I need to add two points to this misconception: Firstly, it’s worth noting that rivers are constantly changing because of different environmental factors, and it can be problematic to decide and identify where a river starts, especially its source.

The second point is that there seems to be a campaign to crown the Amazon as the longest river, because the lengths are disputed, along with the fact that the Amazon has a higher discharge volume. Until the title has officially been stripped from the Nile, it’s still safe to say the Nile is the longest river on the planet.

Aerial view of the Baḥr Al-Jabal (Mountain Nile) and Juba, South Sudan. Credit: Frontpage/Shutterstock.com

New Zealand is an island/New Zealand only has two islands

I’m obviously biased here, but having lived in other countries, the subject of New Zealand consisting of only one or two islands is not a new misconception to me. Occasionally, the question would come up, and I would have to politely and tactfully explain the truth.

To set the record straight, New Zealand, like many other nations around the globe, is made up of several islands. Granted, the two main islands are the North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) and the South Island (Te Waipounamu). The South Island is larger, while the North Island holds about 75% of the population.

During the last ice age, about 18,000 years ago, the two islands were connected by a land bridge when sea levels were lower. When the ice age ended, the land bridge was submerged when the sea levels rose, which resulted in the formation of the Cook Strait, the body of water that separates the two islands.

Located off the southern coast of the South Island is Stewart Island (Te Punga o Te Waka-a-Māui), which is the third largest island in the country. New Zealand consists of over 600 islands, including the Subantarctic Islands. Approximately 16 of these islands are inhabited. Therefore, it’s wrong to say that New Zealand has only one or two islands.

Map of offshore New Zealand islands. Credit: Department of Conservation 

Istanbul is the capital city of Türkiye

Can you name any city in Türkiye other than Istanbul? Istanbul is the most well-known Turkish city the world knows, so it has to be the capital city, right? The computer says no. 3

Like many cities on Earth, Istanbul is the most famous city in its country, or even the largest, but these two factors do not automatically mean it’s the capital.

Istanbul has a population of about 15 million, which works out to be roughly 18% of Türkiye’s population, so it is large, but it’s not the capital city; although it was the capital of the Ottoman Empire until 1922. That honour goes to Ankara, with a population of 5.2 million, and it’s been the capital of many empires over the years.

After the Turkish War of Independence and the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the Republic of Turkey was formed. Ankara was officially made the capital on 29th October 1923, since the administration of the country was moved from Istanbul to Ankara.

Ankara, the capital city of Türkiye. Credit: Türkiye Visa

The Himalayas are the longest mountain range on the planet

This is an easy misconception to believe, because it makes sense that they would be. Firstly, the Himalayas are the world’s highest mountain range, averaging 6,000 to 6,100 m. It’s rather obvious when nine of the ten highest mountains above sea level are found in the Himalayas, especially with Mount Everest, the highest mountain on the planet above sea level, measuring 8,848.86 m.

But, we were asking about the longest mountain range on the planet, were we not? Correct, because it’s not the Himalayas; it’s the Andes. Stretching along South America’s spine, it covers 8,900 km through Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela, and is 200 to 700 km at its widest. The Andes are the longest mountain range above sea level on the planet.

Now, if you were paying attention, I mentioned something odd. Similar to Mount Everest being the highest mountain in the world above sea level, the same can be applied here. The Andes are the longest mountain range in the world, but only above sea level.

The longest mountain range on Earth is actually underwater: the Mid-Ocean Ridge. The Mid-Ocean Ridge is found around the world, as it is interconnected by plate tectonic boundaries. These underwater ridges are part of a global Ocean Ridge system, which covers every ocean.

The mountain range is continuous, and it spans over 65,000 km, making it several times longer than the Andes. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge alone stretches 16,000 km. So to clarify, the Andes are the longest mountain range above sea level on the planet, but the Mid-Ocean Ridge is the longest in total.

The Andes mountain range as seen from a plane, between Santiago de Chile and Mendoza, Argentina, in summer. Credit: Jorge Morales Piderit.

The United States of America only borders two countries

This is yet another misconception, which, in my humble opinion, is quite understandable, why people would think this is true. Yes, the United States of America does indeed border two countries, notably two land borders.

The infamous Southern border, where apparently the world’s supply of drug dealers, criminals, rapists, and murderers enters the United States, which borders along the southern end of the continental United States and Mexico.

The Northern border, which you don’t need to be a brain surgeon to understand, shares two borders with Canada. The first and most obvious border is on the northern side of the continental United States. The second border with Canada is shared through Alaska, because, as we all know, “Alaska is part of the United States.”

So, to recap, the United States shares borders with Mexico and Canada, though they are land borders. And this is where the misconception comes into effect, because the United States also has maritime borders, or water borders.

It shares a maritime border with Russia, yes, I said Russia. It’s a de facto boundary between the two countries across the Bering Strait, because of Alaska’s location and position relative to Russia’s easternmost islands.

The United States also have many dependencies, territories and islands in the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. This results in the United States having maritime borders with The Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Japan, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, and Federated States of Micronesia, as well as collective and/or disputed borders with Jamaica, Haiti, Colombia, Honduras, Nicaragua, Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau, Sint Maarten, the British Virgin Islands, and Anguilla.

Because some of these countries are dependencies and territories of other countries, the United States, by extension, also shares maritime borders with Venezuela, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.

A map to the 1990 USA-USSR maritime boundary agreement. Credit: Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.

How did I do with explaining these geographical misconceptions? Do you have any of your own? As always, please let me know.

And that is another blog post for another week. Just to give everybody a heads up, my Christmas break is coming up soon, where I will take the second of my two annual holidays away from New Zealand’s 5th least favourite website. The dates have to be confirmed with the staff, but I’ll let you know soon.

Also, if you can’t back yourself, nobody else will, so in that vein, I would like to remind everybody that my Twitter and Mastodon accounts still exist, so please drop by. I’m aiming to one day get 50 followers on Twitter and 200 followers on Mastodon. I seem to be more popular on Mastodon than Twitter, though the reasons are probably, like Destruction, Desire and Dream, endless.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2027 Rugby World Cup schedules have been recently drawn, so I’m still processing New Zealand’s games in both of these tournaments. I may have to post a reaction to them. Maybe. Are you happy with either draw or Netflix’s monopoly purchase?

Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, don’t commit war crimes, and I’ll see you next week.

1. It’s always nice to sneak in a Star Trek reference.

2. Like wise for Shakespeare references as well.

3 In 2022, the government of Turkey officially changed its name to Türkiye, which was adopted by the United Nations.

Can a country have Dissociative identity disorder?  

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Flags, Geography, History

Flags, flags, flags, I love a good flag. I live in an area where there are four houses within walking distance of my home that have a flagpole. A few weeks ago, I was walking along when I noticed a flag slightly flying on one of them. I could make out that the flag had orange and black on it.

I suddenly realised I had no idea whose country it belonged to, let alone the continent. Orange and black, orange and black. I was going to memorise the flag, then search for it later on. What country just had orange and black on their flag?!

As I walked closer and closer, I searched the bottom of the flag knowledge file in my mind for any possible answers. Because of the angle I was facing, the majority of the flag wasn’t revealed until I was three houses away.

It was then that I made the discovery that delighted and frustrated me; it was a Halloween flag featuring a witch. This mundane incident obviously triggered my Geek-sense, and the idea grew into the amazing blog post you are now reading.

Just over three years ago, I published my first and only blog post about flags, which can be discovered here. In that literary masterpiece, I discussed four countries’ flags that are no longer in use, for various reasons.

In some circles, three years is the perfect length of time for a sequel, so where is The Batman: Part II? To extend upon this, I have decided to create a sequel to that blog post, but this time, to simply discuss one country, whose history of name changing and flag swapping would make a swinger’s head swivel.

So, sit back, relax, and put your tray table away, because we’re going to look at one country’s many failed flags.

DR Congo’s location in Central Africa, marked by a pin of its national flag. Credit: Mappr

Democratic Republic of the Congo (Formerly known as the Congo Free State/Belgian Congo/Republic of the Congo/Democratic Republic of the Congo/Zaire)

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is odd because it doesn’t just have a few national flags, but several, although it’s the same country; but at the same time, it’s six countries. I told you it was odd.

We have to venture to Central Africa, and to explain the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I need to explain Zaire. In order to explain Zaire, I need to explain the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and to explain the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I need to explain the Republic of the Congo. But to explain the Republic of the Congo, I need to explain the Belgian Congo. However, to explain the Belgian Congo, I need to explain the Congo Free State. It’s like Russian nesting dolls filled with flags and countries.

The Congo Free State

Flag of Congo Free State (1885–1908).
Credit: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Starting with the Congo Free State is arguably the best country to begin with. The flag has a blue background with a yellow star in the centre. It was first introduced when the Congo Free State was a de facto African colony of Belgium, but more importantly, it was controlled by King Leopold II of Belgium.

Also, in a totally random and unrelated coincidence, the Congo Free State shared its flag with the International Association of the Congo or the International Congo Society, which was set up by King Leopold II of Belgium, to further his interests in the region. What are the odds of that happening?!

Belgian Congo

Flag of Belgian (1908-1960).
Credit: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1908, the Congo Free State was officially annexed by the Belgian government, so the country was renamed the Belgian Congo, but they decided to retain the flag. That was nice of them, considering the atrocities the Belgians committed upon the Congolese, in the pursuit of rubber, ivory and minerals.

Republic of the Congo or Congo-Léopoldville (Not to be confused with its neighbour, the Republic of the Congo)

Flag of the Republic of the Congo (1960–1963). Credit: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

In 1960, the Belgian Congo declared independence from Belgium. Among civil unrest and wars that plagued the newly (re)minted country, the nation’s name changed for a second time to the Republic of the Congo, along with a tweaked version of the original flag, namely, the vertical column of six five-pointed stars on the left-hand side.1

Flag of the Republic of the Congo (1963-1966). Credit: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Three years later, in 1963, the flag was changed yet again to another similar, but different version. This new flag still had the original yellow star, but it was smaller and had been moved to the top corner of the left-hand side. It also had a red and yellow-lined band that ran diagonally across the centre. The star represented unity, the yellow symbolised prosperity, the blue stood for hope, and the red reflected the people’s blood.

In 1964, the call was made to change the official name of the Republic of the Congo to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, because why the hell not?

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1966-1971). Credit: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Just like how a classic comic book character like Daredevil is relaunched with a new #1, and then three years later, he has yet another relaunch with another #1, the same applies here. In 1966, because three years in an eternity in politics, the government decided the national flag needed an update, because if the country has a new name…it needs a new flag.

This flag was identical to the previous one, but for two small changes. The red band has widened, and the yellow star has decreased in size.

Zaire

Flag of Zaire (1971–1997). Credit: Moyogo.

To offer a recap, the Congo Free State rebranded itself to become the Belgian Congo, then changed into the Republic of the Congo; along with several flag alternations, and another name change to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. By 1971, you would think that the days of the country’s name and flag changing were over. However, to quote John Rambo, “Nothing is over! Nothing!”

The Democratic Republic of the Congo was renamed Zaire to shake off its colonial past and embrace its African heritage and culture. The new name came with a new flag, which included the Pan-African colours of red, yellow, and green.

The green background represented hope and the country’s fertile land; the yellow symbolised the country’s prosperity and bountiful natural resources, and the red stood for the blood shed for independence and the nation’s martyrs.

The circle with the flaming torch represented the unity of the Zairean people, as well as being a symbol of the ruling party, the Popular Movement of the Revolution (MPR).

Democratic Republic of the Congo (Again)

Flag of Democratic Republic of the Congo (1997-2003). Credit: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The government was overthrown in 1997, which, you guessed it, brought about a new name and flag. The name Zaire was dissolved, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo was reintroduced, along with updating the flag. Instead of looking to contemporary times for inspiration to redesign the flag, it was decided to dive back into the past, 1960, to be correct, to find the next flag.

The new, but old flag was a variation of the first Republic of the Congo’s flag, which was adopted in 1960. The number of stars and their yellow colour didn’t change, but the central star is slightly smaller, along with a lighter blue background.

Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2003–2006). Credit: Moyogo.

When the Democratic Republic of the Congo was just six years old, a decision was made that the national flag needed to be updated. As a result, the flag underwent a makeover. Perhaps someone was allergic to the original blue or felt that it wasn’t light enough, but whatever the reason, the blue on the flag was changed to a lighter shade, and the size of the central star was also adjusted.

In my personal opinion, I think some ministers’ OCD was out of control.

Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (since 2006). Credit: Nightstallion.

By now, you would have guessed what happened in 2006, three years after the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s third flag was revealed. Yes, we have another flag change. 10 points to Hufflepuff!

You can’t make this stuff up, but in 2006, the wheel turned again, and another flag was introduced. It’s a hybrid of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s first and third flags, combining the design of the 1966 flag, but using the blue from 2003’s flag.

If I understand it properly, the star represents the future for the country, red is for “the blood of the country’s martyrs”, the country’s wealth is yellow, and the blue stands for peace.

Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s current flag, and long may it last. However, like a married man having a midlife crisis, who starts dating a woman old enough to be his daughter, will the Democratic Republic of the Congo have another makeover, via a name and flag change? Who knows?

I hope this blog post was coherent enough to understand, because as I was writing it, I kept saying to myself, “This makes no sense, but it’s true.” As always, please let me know your thoughts on the subject.

Writing about the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s flags and name changes has given me a small headache, so I’m done. Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. 

Please remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, the world is a vampire, and I’ll see you next week.

1.) When the Republic of the Congo was named, its neighbour was also called the Republic of the Congo. To sort through the confusion and help the international community differentiate between the two Congos, the flags were different.

In addition to this, the Republic of the Congo was referred to as Congo-Léopoldville, acknowledging its Belgian past. And not to be outdone, the Republic of the Congo was known as Congo-Brazzaville, acknowledging its French heritage. Not confusing at all.

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1960

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn History, Music, People, Politics

It’s been a long time since I celebrated a real achievement on this highly popular website. I’ve made over 250 critically acclaimed blog posts that are the envy of all the Flat Earth creators, and produced numerous content where people have actually left comments; sometimes it’s been two people! I know, it’s quite impressive, so please, don’t be intimidated too much.

The point is that today marks an important milestone in the history of New Zealand’s 5th least favourite website. On 29th April 2024, we entered the 1950s in the We Didn’t Start the Fire historical references blog posts, and today we finally enter the 1960s!

To remind any newcomers about this amazing life choice, I have decided, in my utterly infallible wisdom, to explain all of the historical references in Billy Joel’s song, We Didn’t Start the Fire. Why would I do such a thing when various people have already done this with a greater degree of professionalism? The short answer is that I love the song and history, so what’s another thing I can add to the Mountain of Eternal Regret?

I have said this before, but this blog keeps me off the streets and out of bars, so my wife can keep track of me.

The list of previous fascinating and informative blog posts can be found here:

We Didn’t Start the Fire: The Beginning 

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1948-1949.

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1950

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1951

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1952

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1953

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1954

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1955

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1956

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1957

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1958

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1959

We have now entered the third decade of historical references in the song; what a ride! This entry is shaping up to be quite chaotic, so you need to strap yourself in, because we are going back to 1960! Prepare yourself!

Credit: Rosners’/Pinterest

U-2 

The incident happened during the Cold War, and it had nothing to do with an Irish rock band. U-2 refers to the Lockheed U-2, which is a high–altitude reconnaissance aircraft that has a single engine and a single pilot. The aircraft, known as a spy plane, is operated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the United States Air Force (USAF).

In what can only be described as a plot for a spy movie, on 1st May 1960, an American Lockheed U-2 spy plane took off from Pakistan and was eventually shot down over the Soviet Union by the Soviet Air Defence Forces.

The pilot, Francis Gary Powers, was taking aerial photographs when his aircraft was hit by a Soviet surface-to-air missile. Powers parachuted away and was captured by Soviet forces, then put on trial for espionage. The entire affair was a huge embarrassment for the CIA and USAF, as well as for the United States Government, and resulted in the cancellation of an upcoming summit in Paris between the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France.

Two modern examples of spy plane scandals were the 2001 Hainan Island incident between the United States and China, as well as in January 2024, when Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian Beriev A-50U airborne early warning aircraft, which serves as a surveillance and command-and-control platform. Truth is stranger than fiction.

The remains of the Lockheed U-2 are now on display in the Central Armed Forces Museum, Moscow, Russia. Credit: Alan Wilson.

Syngman Rhee 

Syngman Rhee (1875-1965) was a dedicated advocate for Korean independence during the Imperial Japanese annexation of Korea. Rhee eventually became the first President of South Korea, who served from 1948 to 1960. He also wanted to reunify the Korean Peninsula.

If you’re a student of history like me, you would have noticed that Rhee was president during the Korean War. It could be argued that Rhee might have made this list for other reasons, but the reason he actually made the list in 1960 was related to the South Korean presidential election.

Rhee was looking to be re-elected for a fourth term, but his opponent, Chough Pyung-ok, died one month before the election. This meant Rhee was re-elected unopposed, and government reports said that he received 100% of the votes from a 97% voter turnout.

The focus turned to the race for the Vice President, which resulted in Rhee’s running mate Lee Ki-poong defeating Chang Myon, 79.19% to 17.51%. This caused widespread calls of election fraud and authoritative claims against Rhee and Lee, which led to the massive civil unrest and Rhee’s resignation and exile to the United States.

For some contemporary examples of politicians resigning because of public protests; would be the Arab Spring (2010-2012), Viktor Yanukovych (2014), Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson (2016), Serzh Sargsyan (2018), Omar al-Bashir (2019), Sheikh Hasina (2024), KP Sharma Oli (2025), Milos Vucevic (2025), and so many more.

TIME Magazine Cover: 16th October 1960. Credit: TIME Magazine/BORIS CHALIAPIN

Payola 

This entry is completely believable, and it’s a wonder it didn’t happen sooner. The term payola refers to an illegal practice in the music industry, where a payment is made to a commercial radio station to play a song, but the station does not disclose the payment.

In 1959, a federal investigation was launched into the practice, which turned into a gigantic scandal. Over 330 DJs and radio hosts admitted to taking bribes to play certain songs over others. This led to criminal charges being levelled at radio hosts like Alan Freed, who was extremely popular at the time.

These investigations caused several people to lose their jobs and careers. An estimated $263,000 was accepted in bribes.

A modern equivalent would be in 2006, when a payola scandal involving record companies Universal Music Group, Sony, and Warner Music Group. Record labels were paying various radio stations for radio play, with settlements being over $30 million, after a New York Attorney General’s investigation.

Credit: Daily News

Kennedy

This is a straightforward reference involving John F. Kennedy being elected as the 35th president of the United States, defeating Richard Nixon. Kennedy served as President until his assassination in 1963. He was the second youngest person to be elected as President of the United States at 43 years old.

For comparison, Donald Trump was 70 years old when elected in 2016, Joe Biden was 78 years old and 61 days when elected in 2020, and when Donald Trump was elected for a second time in 2024, he was 78 years old and 220 days, making him the oldest person ever to be elected as President; just to point that out.

John F. Kennedy campaign button
Button from John F. Kennedy’s 1960 U.S. presidential campaign. Credit: Encyclopædia Britannica

Chubby Checker 

Cover songs can either work so well that the new version completely eclipses the original, so that people tend to think the cover is the original, or the cover song just simply exists, and pales in comparison to the original, or the cover and original both benefit from each other’s success. Trust me, I am going somewhere with this.

In 1960, Ernest Evans, aka Chubby Checker, released a song called, The Twist, which in fact was originally released by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters in 1958. The original was very popular in its own right and did very well in sales, but the cover sent the popularity of The Twist into the exosphere.

One of the reasons Chubby Checker’s version was popular, to the point that even if a nightclub in New Zealand played the song, people would know what to do, was the dance, or rather, a dance craze.

“Doing’ the Twist” twisted people on the dance floor around the world, but also helped in the United States, at least, by producing a dance that was popular with black and white audiences during the “Jim Crow” racial segregation era.

Naming cover songs that were successful and popular is one thing, while naming songs that introduce a dance craze is another. However, combining the two is a little more difficult, so the best that the staff at Some Geek Told Me can think of is Macarena, which is a remix from the Bayside Boys in 1995. You know the dance, I bet you do. Hey Macarena, ay!

Psycho 

I’m not a huge horror movie fan, but I can sit down and enjoy one. Granted, I may have my eyes shut or my hands covering my face, but I have seen the next entry. This, of course, reminds me that one day I’m going to write about my favourite movie directors.

Like the seamless transition of Sméagol to Gollum and back, this brings us to Psycho. I can’t remember where or when I first saw the movie, but I sure as hell remember what happened in it. Released in 1960, Psycho is arguably one of director Alfred Hitchcock’s most famous works.

Shot in black and white, Hitchcock gave audiences a ride they didn’t see coming, in the form of a ground-breaking masterpiece in Psycho, which covered a range of themes like guilt, madness, voyeurism, family, and morality. Not only did Psycho change thriller and horror movies forever, but movies in general as well.

With a budget of only US$800,000, it collected US$50 million at the box office, as well as being nominated for four Academy Awards, with Janet Leigh winning a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture.

For previous movie references in the song, Psycho did not win multiple awards, but rather changed how movies are made; it was revolutionary. In that vein, some modern movie comparisons include Pulp Fiction (1994), Toy Story (1995), Saving Private Ryan (1998), The Blair Witch Project (1999), The Matrix (1999), The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003), and Avatar (2009).

Belgians in the Congo 

Belgians in the Congo means exactly what you think it does. For some much-needed context, in the 1870s, King Leopold II of Belgium was keen to have a Belgian colony in the Congo basin, which is located in Central Africa.

By the 1880s, he had effectively set up shop in the Congo basin. The people of the Congo Free State, as it was known, suffered atrocities with an estimated 1.5 million to 13 million deaths at the hands of Leopold’s policies and greed.

In 1908, the annexation became official, with the Congo Free State being rebranded as the Belgian Congo, thus becoming a colony of Belgium. The Belgian government began a massive suppression of rights and economic exploitation of the region and of its people.

After years of a fierce independence movement, the country achieved independence from Belgium on 30th June 1960. The new country was renamed The Republic of the Congo, then changed to Zaire, and changed again, to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is what it is called today.

After independence was achieved, the transition resulted in civil unrest, protests, and conflicts, which became known as the Congo Crisis (1960-1965). Various wars were fought, with Belgian troops trying to regain control of the country, as well as other factions and countries that were involved. This eventually served as a proxy war between the United States and the Soviet Union, just like the Korean War, Vietnam War, Angolan Civil War, and Afghan–Soviet War.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo went on to suffer wars in the shape of the First Congo War (1996-1997) and the Second Congo War (1998-2003), which resulted in a combined death toll of about 5.65 million people. The Second Congo War was the deadliest war since World War II, with parts of the country still being unstable because of armed conflicts, mainly between the Congolese army and the M23 rebel group.

Belgian paratrooper secures the restaurant terrace of Léopoldville (Kinshasa) airport, during Congo Crisis, July 1960. Credit: Unknown.

So, for 1960, we covered a spy plane being shot down, a South Korean president, a music scandal, a US president, a musician and his dance craze, a movie, and an armed conflict. Obviously, all of these references happened before I was born; however, it always pays to understand why things happened and how they are related to the world today. Well, to me at least, because I love history.

Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. My Twitter and Mastodon accounts are still producing daily data about the world, so please drop in to say hello.

Please remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, Grok is not always correct, and I’ll see you next week.

Jobs that I would suck at: Vol 2

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn People

I have not used enough self-deprecating humour for a while, so I had an idea. An awful idea. I had a wonderful, awful idea! I know what to do. I haven’t revisited this topic since last year, so perhaps it’s time for a review. In case you haven’t read the first thrilling instalment, here it is.

I left my job in April, and since then, I’ve been thinking about the possibilities that are open to me in the future, even though I have found a new job. Yay! Although I have mentioned this before, it’s nice to have a job that pays well and that you love, but you also need to have an interest in it and be qualified. That last part is awkward, at the very least.

The idea is that there are some jobs I feel I would be great at (on paper at least), and there would be some jobs, let’s face it, I would suck at. I have a certain set of skills that are only of interest to me, but can they be transferable to any job? Doubt it.

To reinforce what I said in the first blog post about this positive and uplifting subject, I will detail three jobs that I believe I would suck at. Whether I describe myself as being terrible, horrible, ill-suited, unqualified, or just wrong, these jobs would not be for me. This does not cover the pay rate; it just looks at whether the job would be a woeful match for me.

Also, please remember that if your job may appear here today or at a later date, that’s fine for you because I’m not saying your job sucks. I’m just saying your job would suck for me since I’m awkward. If you can do any of these three jobs, you’re a better person than I am!

So without further delays or hair combing, let me explain how I would be swiping left on these three jobs. And away we go!

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Data entry operator who works from home

This is a rather specific job, and I will explain, so just hear me out. I’ve done data entry before, years ago, of a sort. It wasn’t 100% data entry because the day was broken up with other things that went with the job, but the bulk of it was data entry.

I struggled with the job, and one of the reasons I outlived the monotony was being able to leave my little office to venture out into the big, brave world. Now, take a similar job, where the job is just data entry, but I get to work from home, and it would be a disaster.

Let’s take stock of the potential problems I would face: raiding the pantry every 15 minutes for a snack, checking my emails every 3 minutes, constantly checking on whether any parcel or letters have arrived (only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday), doing the washing and dishes, stopping to read a book or comics, checking on various new sites about the world, and checking updates on sport scores.

Regardless of whether I needed to pick the boys up from school or not, once they were home, forget about me achieving any work. And if my wife were at home, the tiny fraction of work I would be getting done would only be getting smaller. A two-minute conversation about lunch would turn into 45 minutes of talking about cartoons.

Working as a data entry operator from home would be a massive mistake for me, because I get too distracted while I’m on the computer. Just think about how long it’s taken me to write this section. I would never need to quit the job, because I would have been fired before that. I would suck as a data entry operator working from home.

Fencer

Now, before you start asking questions, no, I’m not talking about the sport or reselling stolen property. Oh no, I’m referring to the job of actually building and installing fences. You see, I’m not exactly a handyman, as I have great difficulty with building and making things.

My mum pointed out to me once that if there was a long and complicated way of doing something, you can bet that I would do it. This would transfer over to building things, as I would just stuff it up.

And even if you took away the fact that my fences would look like they were designed by a 4-year-old, or an earthquake has installed them, there is the social side to it. I can only imagine going around different farms, building fences, and talking to various farmers.

Talking to farmers is not the problem; it would be listening to the same stories and the same jokes, time and time again. I’m not sure how I could handle building wayward fences, with gaps in them like the government’s budget, but also sounding surprised and interested, when I’ve heard the same story or the same jokes from someone, every time I see them.

I can’t hide my emotions while I wear my face; it’s a giveaway to people, so not only would I be building poor, shoddy, and terrible fences, with holes in them that a rhino could slip through, I would go crazy listening to the repeated stories and jokes told by the same people. I would suck as a fencer.

Baker

This entry can be explained and broken down into three sections, because I would suck being a baker. Firstly, getting up so I can be at work by 4 am would get old extremely quickly. By 9 am, I would have to tape my eyelids back so I wouldn’t close them and fall asleep. Being sleep-deprived and working with blunt and sharp objects is a guaranteed way to injure myself or someone else.

I would have to go to bed before the boys did, which would be a sure-fire way to damage my marriage. Secondly, being a baker, you need to be able to follow recipes and work out the same calculations. By this, I mean I would be working with the same ingredients, but just halving or doubling the recipe. Every day. I won’t lie to you, I would have mental, emotional, and physical issues with that.

I would have to follow someone’s recipe, without ever fundamentally changing it, or perhaps, ever creating anything new. This leads me to the third reason: I’m not very good in the kitchen. Yes, I can prepare dinners, which are just variations of each other, but baking? No way. Even if I was smart enough to follow the recipe, the Good Lord did not seem to bless me with baking skills.

Somehow, someway, I would just mess it up. Whether it was baking cookies, cakes, buns, scones, or anything else would be a disaster. Cooking toast? Check. Boiling soup? Check. Steaming vegetables? Check. Cooking pasta? Check. Baking chocolate chip cookies? Um…just sack me, and get it over and done with.

I would never win any reality TV baking show. Not that I would be kicked off in the first round, oh no, I would not have been good enough to be on the show in the first place. I would suck as a baker.

Again, I’m very sorry if I have mentioned any of your jobs. It’s not you, it’s me. And that’s another blog post for another week.

Thanks for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. I mean it. This project helps me to scoop out the negativity and replace it with something else, less smelly, and a lot crunchier.

Please remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, 15-year-olds are still children, and I’ll see you next week, because we are finally entering the 1960s. You know what I’m talking about. Please say that you do.

Why are the Ultimate and Absolute comics so popular?

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Comics

Kia ora everybody, and how is November working out for you? I believe it’s going well for Zohran Mamdani, having been elected mayor of New York, but also for Donald Trump, who is enjoying throwing parties, falling asleep at work, and building a ballroom. Not him personally, of course. His bone spurs would prevent him from doing that.

On the other side of the equation, it’s not going so well for Prince Andrew and Nigel Farage, though they seem like two top blokes, so I’m sure they will bounce back.

As for me, I have been thinking about comic books lately, which, to be honest, is fairly typical. Before I prattle on any further, I need to issue a warning to any unsuspecting readers. This blog post will be discussing recent comic books, because…well, you know, I’m a geek. Always have been, always will be.

A few weeks ago, I learnt that Marvel had released a press statement that their comics involving the highly popular Ultimate Universe would end in April 2026. It was also around the same time that I discovered DC’s Absolute Batman #1 was one of the highest-selling comic books of 2024, with nearly 400,000 units sold, along with Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man #1, which sold around 450,000 units; both issues had multiple printings.

This, of course, had driven a pop culture splinter into my mind, among other things, which has forced me to ask a very simple question: Why are the Ultimate and Absolute comics so popular?

Because my writing is not always linear, to answer that question, we need to understand what the Ultimate Universe and Absolute Universe are first. Clear as mud? I thought so. Get ready for another pointless lecture.

Credit: Marvel Comics & DC Comics

To build on what I have previously said about this subject, multiverse stories have existed in comics for decades. In fact, it’s one of the jewels in comics’ crown. Setting up well-known characters on different worlds gives the creative teams the freedom to design new costumes, powers, and motivations for their creations, without being part of the main continuity, aka the main line of comic books.

These worlds are comparable to the primary comic book universe represented by various comic companies, yet each one has its own unique differences. I want to emphasise this point: multiverse stories have been a part of comics for decades; they are not a new concept.

Let’s fast forward to the early 2000s, when Marvel launched a line of comics called the Ultimate series: Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men, The Ultimates (The Avengers), Ultimate Fantastic Four, and many others. Marvel designated this world to be Earth-1610, whereas the main Marvel world was Earth-616.

This series of titles reimagined characters like Spider-Man, Captain America, Wolverine, Mister Fantastic, and others to enter a different universe set in contemporary times. By doing this, Marvel allowed new and old generations of readers a chance to experience Peter Parker being bitten by a radioactive spider for the first time, along with Steve Rogers waking up from his frozen sleep in the 21st century, and various other changes. Miles Morales, one of the most popular characters created this century, was born in this world.

Credit: Ultimate X-Men

The Avengers from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) are based on the Ultimates, which are the version of the Avengers from that alternate world. These titles proved to be successful, and they lasted for some years before Marvel pulled the plug on the project.

A few years ago, Marvel relaunched the Ultimate line, which set the stories on the same alternative Earth, but to my understanding, the second volume of these titles did not have the same financial and cultural impact as the first round. In the end, the relaunched Ultimate line was closed down.

Let’s travel forward through time and arrive at 2023, when Marvel had started sowing the seeds of the Ultimate line once again; however, this world, Earth-6160, was a totally different Earth. As the months and years ticked by, The Ultimates, Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate Black Panther, Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Wolverine, some mini-series and one-shots were released, to critical and financial acclaim.

In a nutshell, Earth-6160 was changed by the machinations of the Maker, a villainous Reed Richards from Earth-1610, the original Ultimate world. He did some crazy stuff to Earth-6160’s timeline, preventing characters from receiving superpowers or their creation, but also working behind geo-political scenes to control the world with others, who had carved up the world into regions that they control and manipulate.

Credit: Marvel Comics

One of the core plot twists is that on this world, Peter Parker did not become Spider-Man as a teenager; he only gained his powers recently, as a married man with two children, which you get to witness. There are also some great redesigns for Black Panther, Hulk, mutants, Moon Knight, as well as having Earth-6160’s Doctor Doom being Reed Richards.

In October 2025, it was announced that the Ultimate Universe would be finishing in April 2026, because if I understand it correctly, that was always going to be the plan. What the condition of the Ultimate Universe will be after the Ultimate: Endgame mini-series is anybody’s guess, but what I can’t see is Marvel completely ending the line, since the characters and titles are popular.

All of the Ultimate Universe comics have been performing very well with monthly sales.

And with that amazing conclusion, we can now shift our attention towards DC’s Absolute Universe.

Identified as Earth-Alpha, this world had been influenced by Darkseid’s energy, having made cameo appearances in some earlier cosmic mini-series. I could be wrong about this, but the Absolute Universe seems to have been created and altered by Darkseid.

The natural order of systems has changed, resulting in villains gaining control and heroes becoming underdogs. This shift has also led to familiar yet distinct versions of the main characters from Earth-One. For example, Bruce Wayne’s mother is alive, and he is not wealthy. Kal-El arrived on Earth as an estimated 11-year-old boy, having been raised by Jor-El and Lara on Krypton rather than by the Kents. Additionally, Diana was trained to be a warrior-witch in Hell by Circe, without the influence of the Amazons.

Credit: DC Comics

Like the Ultimate Universe, other titles have been released, like Absolute Martian Manhunter, Absolute Flash, and Absolute Green Lantern, all of which have had something missing or altered in their origin story. This also covers the redesigns for the villains, like costumes, genders, and motivations, in addition to turning Absolute Ra’s al Ghul into an Absolute Superman villain.

In July 2025, Absolute Wonder Woman won five Eisner Awards, claiming awards for Best New Series, Best Writer (Kelly Thompson), Best Colouring (Jordie Bellaire), Best Cover Artist (Lee Bermejo and Mike Deodato Jr.), and Best Lettering (Clayton Cowles).

According to reports, Absolute Flash #1 had over 180,000 pre-orders, which means it was the best-selling Flash comic since 1987’s Flash #1, and Absolute Martian Manhunter #1 sold over 120,000 copies, which is unheard of for a Martian Manhunter title. I have a soft spot for J’onn J’onzz, so I’m really happy for the creative team.

By February 2025, the Absolute Universe comics had sold over 2.5 million units, which includes multiple printings, for various issues across the titles.

So, the Maker has been pulling the strings of Earth-6160, and Earth-Alpha has been influenced by Darkseid. They sound like recipes for disasters to the superheroes, but also successful financial recipes for both companies. So if we have established what the Ultimate and Absolute comics are, why are they proving so popular with readers? Why are both lines outperforming their main counterparts in sales and awards?

I have a theory that consists of many parts, but I haven’t looked into this in great detail, to the point that I would be regurgitating someone’s professional opinion. This is coming from someone who has probably spent far too much love, time and money on comics. This is my opinion, so I haven’t based it on anyone’s work; it’s just me.

Credit: DC Comics

I will be honest about two things:
1.) I am currently buying and reading some Absolute titles; however, for the Ultimate titles, I am reading the trades through the library, so it’s a slow process.
2.) I have not read every single Ultimate or Absolute issue; I’m just doing what I can.

The Art

Obviously, comics without the creative team of artists, inkers and colourists would turn the medium into novels, so they are vital. Having said that, and in my personal opinion, the Ultimate and Absolute art teams have somehow raised the bar slightly.

We all know that monthly comic books are produced on a tight deadline, and if two Flash comics are released in a month, both Flash titles will not look 100% the same, because they were drawn by two different creative teams. If you read X-Men, then you expect Wolverine to look one way, but if you read Wolverine, the creative team is different, so you expect him to look how he looks in that title.

Within roughly two years, readers have become enamoured with the art team’s work on these characters. This comes in the form of fantastic costume redesigns (Ultimate Wolverine), explosions of colours (Absolute Martian Manhunter), and the physical differences of the characters, compared to the main universe versions we all know and love. We now expect to see a spell-tattoo on Diana’s right arm, Peter and T’Challa are rocking beards, and Bruce looks like a jacked-up UFC fighter. The art teams have been swinging for the fences.

Credit: Marvel Comics

The Writing

In the previous nonsensical section, I just praised the art teams on their stellar productions. I also have to talk about the other side of the coin: the writing.

You could have a comic with poor writing and poor art, great writing and great art, poor writing and great art, and great writing and poor art. Over the years, I have come across examples of these comics, but it always sends shivers down my spine when I read comics with excellent writing and excellent art.

The execution of these lines of comics has been amazing, because it’s been the concepts. The writers have had some roadblocks removed, so ideas have been flowing like an erupting shield volcano. Having both worlds altered by cosmic villains in the guises of the Maker and Darkseid, and having heroes, villains, and supporting characters changed, along with their costumes, has been, once again, in my humble opinion, masterstrokes of creativity and imagination.

J. Jonah Jameson and Ben Parker are portrayed as best friends, while only Thomas Wayne was shot and killed. Logan is depicted as the Winter Soldier, and Kal-El is shown growing up on Krypton. Additionally, Wakanda is in conflict with both the Upper and Lower Kingdoms, and Wally does not access his powers through the Speed Force. These examples illustrate the writing decisions that challenge our understanding of these characters.

Throw in geo-politics, cabals, and characters already going through growth and development, and the writing teams have understood their assignments. They are bringing their stories to the next level.

Credit: DC Comics

The Readers

The comic industry has been complaining about not enticing new readers since Adam was a cowboy. Companies try new strategies to do this, but they need to find the awkward balance of welcoming the next generation of readers while also catering to and keeping existing readers.

It looks like both Marvel and DC have found a niche market with readers, which has surprised even me. I thought I was done with reading monthly superhero titles when Invincible finished, but here I am reading the Ultimate and Absolute comics.

The two Earths (Earth-6160 and Earth-Alpha) cater to new readers because they don’t need 60 years of continuity and reading to understand the characters or previous storylines. They are not bogged down with these concepts because the Ultimate and Absolute comics allow them to experience a world inhabited by superhumans, from the ground floor on up.

New readers can join on Day 1 and follow the characters’ journeys through these two exciting worlds. They don’t complain about how the new heroes compare to the old ones or view these stories as a waste of time. Instead, new readers want to immerse themselves in these worlds. As long as the quality remains high, they will be happy to support the titles. That’s a good thing.

These comics also cater to the old and existing readers. Yes, these readers may have grown up with these fictional characters, so they know them so well, almost like long-distance family members. Now, however much these readers (like myself) like these characters, they are over 60 years old, with some of them over 80 years old.

The result is that the established readers want to see and experience new things with comics, not just the same storylines told differently. By exposing these readers to Earth-6160 and Earth-Alpha, it enables Marvel and DC to maintain those readers, since they are still giving them the adventures of their favourite characters, by doing different things with them.

Watching old heroes and villains emerge with new costumes, powers, and origins is as compelling as the first time they read about them. Who doesn’t want to read about heroes meeting their arch-enemy for the first time? Old readers want to be dazzled and surprised with plot twists and revelations, which can sometimes look forced with the main universe counterparts.

These worlds are new, and their potential and possibilities are endless, which shows how strong the reaction to them has been by the readers, with increasing and strong sales. Like I said earlier, multiverse stories have existed in comics for decades, so the Ultimate and Absolute comics are not an entirely original idea. However, their constant domination in the top 10 monthly best-selling comic books shows us that the mainstream comic industry still has drive and passion for storytelling.

Credit: Marvel Comics & DC Comics

I was not expecting the Ultimate and Absolute comics to be as amazing as they are, but that’s a good thing.

Have you read any of the Ultimate or Absolute comics? What are your thoughts? As always, please let me know.

And that brings this week’s lecture to a close. Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, never trust a trash-diving raccoon, and I’ll see you next week.

Shakespeare movie adaptations that are hidden in plain sight: Vol 1

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Literature, Movies

Step right up, step right up for another blog post detailing how humanity can cure cancer, solve climate change, and understand why children are weird. Oh, wait, I can’t answer any of those questions, sorry. At least not today.

Diving into the nearly five-year-old bag of suggested topics from the staff at Some Geek Told Me, I have selected a topic that, every six months or so, I decide to write, but talk myself out of it. However, the die has been cast, and the wait is over.

As hardcore followers of this amateurish attempt to educate people, you will know that this geek suffers from a Shakespeare affliction. I can’t recite speeches or explain what the hell the characters are saying. Though, to be fair, what I can do is explain the plots and the themes. Well, to be honest, it’s what I think the themes are, so I could be 80% wrong.

Granted, the works of William Shakespeare have lasted over 400 years, much to the disappointment of all secondary school students studying English. I love the motivations behind characters, both heroes and villains, as well as how relevant the stories can be to contemporary audiences.

Watching a Shakespearean movie or attending one of his plays automatically engages my brain to sit up straight, focus, listen, and try to keep up. Over the years, this has led the plays to be adapted into various media like movies, comics, novels, and TV shows, among others.

Some adaptations would keep Shakespeare’s language of Early Modern English, while others would use Modern English, but still keep to the plot. Some adaptations are set in 16th-17th-century Europe, others in modern times, while others are set somewhere in between or earlier.

For today’s lecture, we are going to look at one group of these adaptations: the movies. Typically, it’s quite easy to identify a Shakespeare movie adaptation, because of its name: William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, Henry V, Othello, Richard III, Hamlet, and Coriolanus, to select but a few.

They are direct adaptations, or as close as a film production can allow. However, young grasshopper, there are a small group of movies that are indirect adaptations of one of Shakespeare’s plays, but they are not advertised as that, for whatever reason. Several films can fit into this niche, so this blog post will be the first of many; the single consideration is that I’ll try very hard to only have one movie per play.

So, for your reading pleasure, I have collected four examples of movies that are secretly Shakespeare adaptations. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did writing it. Let’s begin now.

Image by beauty_of_nature from Pixabay

West Side Story (Romeo and Juliet)

We are going to start with a very obvious one, and for good reason. West Side Story was originally a musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, which had opened on Broadway in 1957. The production was a huge success, so a film was produced, based on the musical.

The film was released in 1961, which is what we will be comparing. In the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City, in 1957, is where we lay our scene. In comparison, Romeo and Juliet was written sometime between 1591 and 1595.

Both stories deal with star-crossed lovers, in the form of Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, along with Tony (Richard Beymer) and Maria (Natalie Wood) from West Side Story. The House of Montague and the House of Capulet are feuding families in Verona, with Romeo and Juliet belonging to opposite houses.

Maria’s older brother, Bernardo (George Chakiris), is the leader of the Sharks, a teenage street gang, looking to control the Upper West Side. The Jets are a rival gang of which Tony was a co-founder and former member.

Trying to keep the warring families at bay in Romeo and Juliet is Prince Escalus, with the equivalent being two characters, Lieutenant Schrank (Simon Oakland) and Sergeant Krupke (William Bramley) in West Side Story. Other similar characters are Mercutio, Romeo’s friend, and Riff (Russ Tamblyn), best friend to Tony; Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, is Bernardo; while Count Paris, Juliet’s suitor, is Chino Martin (Jose De Vega).

The two stories follow events to their tragic conclusion, but with a subtle difference. In Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio is slain by Tybalt, Tybalt is then slain by Romeo, Paris is killed by Romeo, and both Romeo and Juliet kill themselves. Both Houses are in mourning, and thus, the feud ends.

In West Side Story, Riff is murdered by Bernardo, who, in turn, is killed by Tony. However, you are expecting Tony to kill Chino, but it’s the opposite; Chino shoots and kills Tony. Maria threatens to kill Chino, the Jets, and the Sharks because of their hatred, which has taken the lives of Riff, her brother, and her lover. In the end, she backs down, but she ultimately survives the carnage, and the feud ends.

On a personal note, Romeo and Juliet is often described as the world’s greatest love story. It’s not the ultimate love story; it’s one of the world’s greatest tragedies. Much like West Side Story, love, violence, hatred, and prejudice are woven into both tales to tell and explore the human experience. West Side Story is a love story as well as a tragedy. Tony dies, but Maria lives, so hope remains. As for Romeo and Juliet, their tragedy is complete, for never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo.

The Lion King (Hamlet)

I’m sorry to point this out and possibly damage your childhood, but I am not the first person to say this; the story of The Lion King is actually Hamlet in disguise. Wait, just hear me out.

This tragedy has a prince who goes into mourning as his father, the king, has died. The prince’s uncle, his father’s brother, ascends the throne. The prince goes into exile with two friends and returns years later to a kingdom that is rotten.

If you had thought I had just explained Simba’s story when it came out in 1994, you would be correct; however, it also mirrors Hamlet’s journey, which was written between 1599 and 1601. The stories share characters and their equivalents, with Simba (Hamlet), Mufasa (King Hamlet), Scar (Claudius), Nada (Ophelia), and Zazu (Polonius), along with Timon and Pumbaa (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern).

Even though the early 17th-century royal court of Denmark is swapped for the plains of the Serengeti in Tanzania, the plots have parallel events, though not entirely. Both kings are murdered by their brothers, who take the throne and are terrible rulers; both kings appear as ghosts to their sons and give advice; Simba and Hamlet have a love interest in Nada and Ophelia, respectively; both princes go into exile; and Scar and Claudius both die at the end.

Disney could have gone all in with a more accurate adaptation with Simba killing Nala’s father by accident; Simba’s mother, Sarabi, marries Scar; Nala commits suicide by drowning; Simba goes mad with grief and vengeance; another pride of lions invades and takes over the Pride Lands; and lastly, Sarabi, Scar, and Simba, all die in the closing scene. It would have been a beautiful nightmare, with Simba/Hamlet’s story haunting a generation of children, all over the world.

10 Things I Hate About You (The Taming of the Shrew)

Viewed through a contemporary lens, The Taming of the Shrew can be some what problematic, considering it was between 1590 and 1592, when it was written. However, that did not stop Hollywood from having a crack at it. Back in 1999, 10 Things I Hate About You was released, and even though the titles were different, it was based on The Taming of the Shrew.

I hope the Bard can forgive me for breaking his comedic play down like this, but The Taming of the Shrew was set in Padua, Italy, where we met a nobleman, Baptista Minola, who has two daughters, Katherina and Bianca. Many suitors would like to marry Bianca, but her father has decreed that Bianca can only get married when Katherina does, but no man wants to because of her assertiveness, along with her quick and sharp wit.

Some plans focus on the suitors Hortensio and Gremio, but also include Lucentio, who also wishes to marry Bianca, and Petruchio, tasked with wooing Katherina. Typical Shakespearean romantic mischief ensues, with everyone ultimately finding love.

10 Things I Hate About You shares many plot points, names, and characters with The Taming of the Shrew. The film is set around the students who attend Padua High School. Walter Stratford (Larry Miller) has two daughters, and you guessed it, Katarina (Julia Stiles) and Bianca (Larisa Oleynik). Like a similar decree from Baptista Minola, Walter explains that Bianca is only allowed to date when her older sister does.

Enter Cameron James (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who has fallen for Bianca, so he enlists help from Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) to woo the anti-social Katherina, so Cameron can date Bianca. By the end of the film, everybody is happy like a 90s high school film should be. It also had a Shakespeare reference with Sonnet 141.

O (Othello)

If you have been keeping score, and why wouldn’t you be, we have discussed two tragedies and one comedy. I’m a bit inclined to favour the tragedies, since they can teach us a lot about ourselves. Case in point, here is another tragedy, Othello.

Written about 1603, the story of Othello is a blueprint of having it all and losing it to jealousy. It’s a cautionary tale about Othello, a military commander, who is tricked and manipulated by one of his lower-ranked officers, the traitorous Iago, into believing that his wife, Desdemona, is having an affair with another officer, the loyal Michael Cassio.

In some academic and literary circles, Iago is considered to be the worst villain in all of Shakespeare’s works, and it’s not a surprise; he ruins lives. By the end of the play, Iago had murdered his wife, Emilia, and Roderigo (a nobleman), while stabbing Cassio, but not fatally. Othello had murdered Desdemona by smothering her, because of Iago’s lies, then realised Iago was behind it all, and stabs him, but he survives.

Othello then commits suicide by stabbing himself. Iago is arrested and taken away, but famously refuses to explain his motivations. Othello has mischief and hijinks, but it is not comedic; it’s just fraught with paranoia and jealousy.

Like 10 Things I Hate About You, O is set in modern times, with American teenagers. Mekhi Phifer stars as Odin (Othello); Josh Hartnett as Hugo (Iago); and Julia Stiles is back again, but this time she plays Desi (Desdemona). We also have Andrew Keegan as Michael Cassio (Michael Cassio), Elden Henson as Roger Calhoun (Roderigo), Rain Phoenix as Emily (Emilia), John Heard as Bob Brable (Brabantio, Desdemona’s father), and Martin Sheen as Coach Duke Goulding (The Duke of Venice).

The story of O does not centre around soldiers and officers, but rather high school basketball players and students. O follows the events of Othello, with Hugo manipulating people and events, but the end is still the same. Hugo shoots and kills Roger, along with his girlfriend, Emily. Odin strangles Desi to death, then shoots himself after learning that his friend, Hugo, had caused all of the chaos. Hugo, vowing not to reveal his motivations, is arrested by the police.

As I said earlier, many more films have been based, even loosely, on Shakespeare’s works, and this blog post will return to discuss more of them. But like I also said, only one movie per play, so Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, The Taming of the Shrew, and Othello are done, with more to follow.

Do you have a favourite movie that is secretly a Shakespeare adaptation? As always, please let me know.

That’s it for me this week. Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, donate to a food bank, and I’ll see you next week, where I discuss comics for a change.

Tour of the Solar System: The Kuiper Belt

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Science

The wheel has turned again, and the world is still faced with unrest, turmoil, and US$499 Trump watches. However, there is an antidote in the form of Some Geek Told Me’s Tour of the Solar System! Once again, the tour that nobody on the planet asked for, except for me, is back to entertain the masses and spark curiosity within society, or just something to read on the bus.

Some Geek Told Me’s Tour of the Solar System is the envy of the scientific community, especially in astronomy circles. Don’t be one of those professors struggling to catch up on reading blogs, because you can do that now! Past entries include:

1.) Meet the Family

2.) The Sun

3.) Planets vs. Dwarf planets

4.) Mercury

5.) Venus

6.) Earth

7.) The Moon

8.) Mars

9.) The Asteroid Belt

10.) Ceres

11.) Jupiter

12.) The Galilean moons

13.) Saturn

14.) Titan

15.) The Moons of Saturn

16.) Uranus

17.) Titania

18.) The Moons of Uranus

19.) The Literary Moons of Uranus

20.) Neptune

21.) Triton

22.) The Moons of Neptune

Our journey started in January 2023, and in September 2025, we left the Neptunian System, along with the Sun, the other seven planets, their moons, a single dwarf planet, and the Asteroid Belt. We are now going to be venturing into new territory, namely the Kuiper Belt. So, ladies and gentlemen, make sure you’re wearing your thinking hats, because the tour continues!

Kuiper Belt Illustration. Credit: Laurine Moreau/Space Facts

The next stop is an odd one, because just like the Asteroid Belt, the Kuiper Belt is a region of space, rather than a single object, like a planet or moon. Before we dive into what the Kuiper Belt actually is, which is not a new Ralph Lauren belt, we need to establish its name and its discovery. I know, it’s not very flashy or sick, but facts matter.

The discovery of Pluto in 1930 created a stir in the astronomy community because of the possibility of other objects being discovered beyond Pluto. It was thought that since Pluto was on a long-period orbit, it may have just been the first to be revealed, with more waiting out of view.

Over the years, various theories were created to explain what this region beyond Neptune could hold, such as those of Kenneth Edgeworth in 1943. Whatever the reality, the growing consensus was that it could be made up of thousands, hundreds of thousands, if not millions or hundreds of millions of objects, similar in size to Pluto, especially short-period comets.

In 1951, an astronomer named Gerard Kuiper proposed in a paper that this region could be in the shape of a disc, where it could be the leftovers of cosmic bodies, and through time and gravity, have changed. As the years moved on, more objects were slowly discovered in this region of space.

Fast forward to 1992, when astronomers David Jewitt and Jane Luu discovered an object, 1992 QB1, which was later named 15760 Albion. This discovery helped to reinforce Kuiper’s theory of the existence of the disc/belt in that region.

This belt was then named after Kuiper; thus, it became known as the Kuiper Belt, but it’s also known as the Edgeworth–Kuiper belt. Despite that, some astronomers believe that Kuiper and Edgeworth don’t deserve their names to be attached to it, as they support the idea that other astronomers predicted the existence of the belt before them.

The Kuiper Belt is actually doughnut shaped; Pluto’s inclined orbit is typical of other KBOs. Credit: BBC

That was great, but what is the Kuiper Belt? What an insightful question, well done. Someone who is far more intelligent than I am, and has actually astronomical qualifications, not just a geek with a passion for space, would be able to give you a better description than I could. However, I will try.

The Kuiper Belt is a region of space located beyond Neptune’s orbit. It is shaped like a doughnut, with the centre of it containing the Sun, inner planets, the Asteroid Belt, and the outer planets. It’s home to dwarf planets, as well as smaller rocky and icy objects. Along with that, the Kuiper Belt is a source of short-period comets.

The size of the Kuiper Belt, to me, boggles the mind. If you can remember from previous tour stops, one astronomical unit (AU) is the distance between the Sun and the Earth, which roughly works out to be 150 million km. The Kuiper Belt can be divided into two sections: the Inner region and the Scattered Disc.

The Inner region, which is the main section, begins at 30 AU at Neptune’s orbit and finishes about 50 AU. The belt extends into the Scattered Disc, which overlaps the Inner region, with some objects being measured at distances of 1,000 AU. The width of the Kuiper Belt is believed to be about 20 AU, which is gargantuan.

Like many events in Earth’s history or Deep Time, there were no people around to witness it or record information. But just like Sherlock Holmes and Batman, scientists are detectives who can look at evidence to explain the origins of the Kuiper Belt.

The Kuiper Belt is thought to be 4.6 billion years old, slightly younger than the Solar System. At the formation of the Solar System, it would have been crazy, with objects zipping around and coalescing into planets or proto-planets.

Just like the Asteroid Belt, the Kuiper Belt is the remnants or leftovers of proto-planets that failed to form and were pulled apart by gravitational forces. The difference is that the Asteroid Belt was formed by Jupiter’s gravitational pull, whereas the Kuiper Belt was created by the gravitational pull of Neptune.

Objects located within the Kuiper Belt have special labels, referred to as Trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) and Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs). There is a myth that TNOs and KBOs are the same thing, like the United Kingdom and Great Britain. They are similar, but different.

The United Kingdom is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; however, Great Britain consists of England, Scotland, and Wales. Great Britain is part of the United Kingdom, but the United Kingdom is not Great Britain.

The same rule applies to the Kuiper Belt. TNOs are any objects that are located and discovered beyond Neptune’s orbit, which includes the Kuiper Belt; however, KBOs are objects only located within the Kuiper Belt. All KBOs are TNOs, but not all TNOs are KBOs. It’s a subtle difference, but facts matter.

Some interplanetary dust particles that end up in Earth’s atmosphere may have started life in the faraway Kuiper Belt (illustrated), a region of icy objects farther from the sun than Neptune. Credit: ESA

Centaurs are another type of rocky and icy objects that begin in the Kuiper Belt, but now have orbits between Jupiter and Neptune. They act as a transitional population between KBOs and comets, if that makes sense. Their orbits are unstable due to various gravitational interactions with Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, which can send them inwards.

This process can eventually cause them to evolve into comets or be ejected from the solar system entirely. Because of their origin, they are sometimes called “Kuiper Belt escapees.”

The distribution of objects in the belt is not even, so they are scattered. Another comparison with the Asteroid Belt is the distance between objects. Hollywood likes to add drama to space travel, like it wasn’t already dangerous, and paints the picture of asteroids hitting each other because they are so close.

The opposite is true, since the average distance of objects in the Kuiper Belt is about the distance between the Earth and the Moon, roughly 385,000 km. You will have no issue hitting another object; it’s smooth sailing.

The spacecrafts Pioneer 10 (1983) and Voyager 2 (1989) have both travelled into the Kuiper Belt, with the most recent visitor, New Horizons, in 2015, which is still sending back fantastic data and images, along with the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes studying the region.

The Kuiper Belt has many famous citizens, particularly dwarf planets, which brings us to our next tour stop, Pluto! That brings this section of the tour to a close, but we will start again in December, whether that is before or after Christmas. Good times.

What’s your favourite fact about the Kuiper Belt? As always, please let me know. Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. My Twitter and Mastodon accounts are highly popular, since I have a combined total of 174 followers; I know, Neil deGrasse Tyson can only dream of those numbers.

Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, rainbows are not dangerous, and I’ll see you next week for some Shakespeare! I bet you can’t wait!

Finally, my Star Wars: The High Republic post is here

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Books, Comics, Television

Well, this blog post has been years in the making. I’ve hinted at this for some time, and now that my sponsorships are under control and I’ve completed the press tours, I feel it’s the right moment to write a blog post about the Star Wars: The High Republic series. I’m now rich and famous for running New Zealand’s fifth least favourite website, so it seems like the perfect opportunity to share my thoughts on this important subject.

Let’s establish an ugly truth before we begin: not every person on this planet has seen a Star Wars movie or TV show, or read a Star Wars novel or comic book; while some people, for some strange and unexplained reason, don’t like Star Wars. I know, it’s difficult to believe, but it’s true.

It’s been well and truly documented that I’m a geek and a fan of the world’s most famous space opera. This shouldn’t be a surprise to any of you. Seriously, it shouldn’t.

In terms of my Star Wars diet, I’ve been reading Star Wars literature in the form of novels and comic books for decades. Yes, I enjoyed the films, and since I won’t dive into that today, they left a void in me. I wanted more from that fictional universe, especially learning about the Jedi and events before A New Hope.

Enter Tales of the Jedi from Dark Horse Comics, and my prayers were answered. I think I discovered Tales of the Jedi at a library, and I was instantly hooked. Stories about the Jedi, set thousands of years before the Battle of Yavin? Sign me up.

It was a chance to tell new and exciting tales about the Star Wars universe, without being bogged down with continuity problems, since they were set thousands of years ago. I read the trades, then sourced all of the single issues, because I felt the entire series was made for me. I loved it.

Dark Horse later released Star Wars: Knights of the Republic, Star Wars: The Lost Tribe of the Sith-Spiral, Star Wars: Knight Errant, Star Wars: Jedi vs Sith, Star Wars: Republic, Star Wars: Dark Times, and one of my favourites, Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, among others.

Since then, various novels have been released, detailing thousands of years of Jedi and Sith, as well as the years leading up to The Phantom Menace and The Clone Wars. This also does not take away from the Canon stories exploring everything after A New Hope, either. I’ve enjoyed the Star Wars books I have read, but my love for Tales of the Jedi was enduring.

I felt I was starved for new Canon Star Wars content that was set hundreds or thousands of years before the Battle of Yavin. Legends’ stories were all over that, but the new stories seemed to be focused elsewhere. However, that changed with Star Wars: The High Republic.

My Star Wars: The High Republic novels

Essentially, The High Republic was1 a massive multi-media project, spanning novels (adult, young adult, middle-grade, young readers) comic books, audio drama, web series, manga, reference books, and short stories, with one animated TV show (Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures), and one live action TV show (Star Wars: The Acolyte). The creators were a mix of seasoned Star Wars writers and new writers, not including the multiple artists.

The High Republic was set about 150 years before A New Hope, with both the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order being at their prime. This is a time when thousands of Jedi patrol the galaxy, and new worlds are being discovered, and are invited to join the Republic. It’s an era of potential and exportation, when relative peace and security are a steady theme within the galaxy.

That sounds amazing, but would people want to read stories about Jedi travelling to distant worlds to mediate, or just enjoy having easy and stress-free lives? No, the Jedi needed a challenge to push them to become better. The Sith are still hiding throughout this time, so if the Sith aren’t the villains, the Jedi need someone else to fight!

This beautiful transition brings us the Drengir and the Nihil. The best way to explain the Drengir is that they are a sentient carnivorous plant species who have a connection to the Dark Side of the Force. They also have a hive-mind that is controlled by the Great Progenitor, who acts like the Borg Queen.

They had tentacles, thorns, various poisons, huge mouths, and an unending appetite for meat, which came in the form of whatever organisms they could find. During the series, the Drengir were wiping out villages, settlements, and colonies scattered across the galaxy.

The main villains of the series were the Nihil, who were described as space vikings. The creators put in a lot of effort in fleshing them out, since they were led by Marchion Ro, an Evereni who had an all-consuming hatred of the Republic and the Jedi.

The Nihil had a caste system, and they terrorised worlds and spaceships with raids, killing anyone that got in their way and taking whatever they wanted. Their spaceships had Path Engines, which were an engineering masterpiece and a secret weapon.

As I understood it, a normal spaceship that had a hyperdrive could make jumps through hyperspace across massive distances. However, Path engines allowed the Nihil to make micro-jumps through hyperspace, or even within a planet’s atmosphere. It meant the Nihil could make micro-jumps within a space battle and destroy or conquer spaceships with ease.

Throughout the series, they executed various gigantic plans across the galaxy to spread fear, terror, and to lay claim to new territories, as well as humiliating the Republic and destroying the Jedi Order. They did this through the aforementioned plans, but they also had an ace up their sleeve.

Marchion Ro used unique creatures. Called by several names, like The Shrikarai, the Nameless, and Shrii-ka-rai, these creatures were Force Eaters, which meant they survived and consumed the Living Force. As you can guess, their Force-sensitive victims were drained of the Living Force, and their bodies were converted to husks. And if their victims were Force-sensitive, it meant that their greatest strength became their greatest weakness.

Having a Nameless approach someone who was Force-sensitive would distort reality for that person, and affect them emotionally, physically, and mentally; but the main reason the Nameless were deadly was that Jedi were supposed to be mindful of their feelings and be able to suppress fear, but the Nameless made the Jedi afraid. They made the Jedi feel fear.

It’s an interesting take to see the brave Jedi being reduced to crying and screaming messes on the ground, when a non-Force-sensitive lifeform would be unaffected.

And speaking of Force-sensitive people, the creators have, in my opinion, been courageous in presenting other organisations that are connected to the Force, other than the Jedi and the Sith. Just because you are sensitive to the Force does not automatically mean you are destined to fall into the two camps of Jedi or Sith. It was great to see other organisms using the Force and helping communities, by not using a lightsabre.2

Phase III Star Wars: The High Republic Comics. Credit: Marvel & Dark Horse

Across the series, we have been introduced to many new and different Jedi. This relates to their species, type of lightsabre they use, and rank in the Jedi order, which is nothing new, since we were exposed to this with The Phantom Menace. However, the creators introduced something I believe I have never seen or heard of before: the way organisms feel, experience, and perceive the Force is different.

Albert Einstein explained with his theory of special relativity that there is no universal clock, so nobody experiences time the same way; we all experience time differently. This is much the same as how a lifeform experiences and perceives the Force, which will be different from everybody else. One Jedi experiences the Force as an ocean, another as music, and another as a forest. It was a cool concept.

We met new Jedi like OrbaLin, Burryaga Agaburry, Lily Tora-Asi, Sav Malagán, Ram Jomaram, Qort, Lula Talisola, Vernestra Rwoh, and Porter Engle, to name but a few. It was interesting to read about them in a novel, then discover them in a comic book, and vice versa. Star Wars: The High Republic also introduced lots of non-Jedi characters like Chancellor Lina Soh, Sevran Tarkin, Alys “Crash” Ongwa, Ty Yorrick, Tey Sirrek, Zeen Mrala, and Geode, along with many more.

The series was released in phases, which included the various media from January 2021 to June 2025. The main focus was the novels, with the comics, manga, and audio dramas still accessible to stand alone. The web series was released before the launch, so readers could understand the characters better and the time period.

With each phase, new content would slowly be released across, roughly 18 months, then go into hiatus, to reset for the new phase. Each phase was divided into Waves (1-3), which would include a novel, a young adult novel, and a middle-grade novel, so three books per wave meant nine books per phase.

Through the different phases, two main comic books were running, Star Wars: The High Republic from Marvel, and Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures, first released from IDW, then Dark Horse took over publication with Phase II.

Multiple comic book mini-series were also released through the three phases, along with one-shots, six manga, and three audio dramas (also available as scripts). The picture, art, and reference books were published near the end of each phase, but I could be wrong about that.

Phase I: Light of the Jedi was the first entry into the series, with nine novels. They set up the scene for the golden era of the Republic and the Jedi, which was about 150 years before A New Hope, where Jedi numbers were in their thousands. The Nihil, Drengir and their mischief-making were introduced across the phase.

Phase II: Quest of the Jedi was different for two reasons. The first reason was that the time period shifted, because we journeyed back another 100 years, before Phase I, to where the Outer Rim was still being explored. I think it was done to allow the readers to process the events of Phase I and to answer some questions that were raised. The other reason was that, instead of nine novels being released like in Phase I, only six were published in Phase II.

Phase III: Trials of the Jedi had another time jump and picked up the story one year after the events of Phase I. Some characters had died, and others grew through character development. I would like to add extra information to Phase III, but I can’t.

The thing is, even though Star Wars: The High Republic has finished, I have not finished reading Phase III. Nine books were published in this phase, and not counting the comic books and manga, I have only read the first four: Escape from Valo, The Eye of Darkness, Defy the Storm, and Temptation of the Force.

My local bookstore is still waiting for the paperback editions of Beware the Nameless, Tears of the Nameless, Into the Light, A Valiant Vow, and Trials of the Jedi, along with the script of the Tempest Breaker audio drama.

I have the final chapter in the series, the Marvel one-shot, Star Wars: The High Republic: Finale, waiting patiently to be read, only after the other six books have been located and read. It’s difficult because I really want to read it, but I’ve waited this long, so I can wait some more.

I’ve really enjoyed reading Star Wars: The High Republic. Meeting both old3 and new characters and travelling to new planets has been a thrilling experience. I’ve been eagerly waiting for a massive Star Wars project like this for over half my life.

The motivations behind the actions of characters, along with their visual designs, have been quite beneficial in the different media, which have allowed the creators to explore and showcase various characters in new ways.

A lot of them were complex, because as children, we were taught a person is either good or bad, but life isn’t as binary as that, with people having the potential for both good and bad. I thought it was a mature choice from the creators to reflect that.

As for reflection, I know a lot of people complained about the inclusion of many LGBTQIA+ characters in the stories. Personally, I found their complaints to be hilarious, because it’s a fact that not every Star Wars fan is a middle-aged straight white male.

As a business model, if you’re selling products involving fictional characters, you want any person, of any background, to be able to pick one of your products and to be able to see themselves in it. You want to cater to as many people as possible. Star Wars should be for anybody, not just the die-hard fans, because you want the next generation to fall in love with it, just like you did.

It’s also been clever not to have the Sith as the antagonists, because other factions hate the Jedi as well. They were hiding at the time, so why expose themselves? Because they do that in The Phantom Menace, after thousands of years of waiting, planning, and killing themselves.

I loved this series, but I have only two small disadvantages with it. The first is the cost, though that depends on how far you want to dive into the project. If you’re only interested in the novels, then the story will make sense. And if only comic books float your boat, then you can still enjoy the story as well.

However, if you’re anything like me, you would want to read as much as you can, to fully explore this time period, with novels and comic books, so it’s going to cost you. Though in saying that, you can take your time with the collection, so there’s no hurry.

The other point is probably criticism towards me rather than the series. Because there were so many characters, I sometimes found myself reading about a character that I couldn’t remember. I would have to stop, quickly research that character, curse myself for being stupid for forgetting them, then continue reading.

I hope the Star Wars franchise creates another multi-media project like The High Republic, because if they do, I’m there. When UMC1 and UMC2 are interested, the novels are waiting for them. Not the comics, though, that’s another discussion.

And with that, this overly bloated blog post is finished. Have you read any of the Star Wars: The High Republic or have any thoughts about it? As always, please let me know.

Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, try to close a revolving door, and I’ll see you next week.

1 I believe the main High Republic story has finished, but some comics from Phase II are being released to expand upon this time period.

2 Yes, I know I have used “lightsabre” rather than “lightsaber.” I use British/New Zealand English, not American English, so I’m sorry, but not sorry.

3 I’m looking at you, Yoda.