In the comments to these weekly posts (and only these posts), it's your chance to go as off topic as you like.

Talk about non-comics stuff, thread derail, and just generally chat among yourselves.

The intent of these posts is to chat and have some fun and, sure, vent a little as required. Reasoned debate is fine, as always, but if you have to ask if something is going over the line, think carefully before posting please.

Normal board rules about conduct and behaviour still apply, of course.

It's been suggested that, if discussing spoilers for recent media events, it might be advisable to consider using the rot13 method to prevent other members seeing spoilers in passing.

The world situation is the world situation. If you're following the news, you know it as much as I do, if you're not, then there are better sources than scans_daily. But please, no doomscrolling, for your own sake.

Though it must be said that that has been harder and harder to avoid. It would be remiss to not acknowledge the growing efforts of those resisting authoritarian overreach, which has led to at least two deaths of late, and likely more. We name Renée Good and Alex Pretti as victims of this situation.

I will mention, on the UK side, more of the more extreme Tories from the last administration are defecting to the very very Right Wing Reform Party. I've seen this described as rats leaving the Titanic to discover they've landed on the Titan submersible. A confused mental image, but I understand what they mean.

The international stage defies any attempt at summary because where would be start, but that is part of the playbook, so let's not and focus on trivialities

The UK version of the Traitors ended with a remarkably tense finale where, with a sort of delicious irony, the Faithful wavered in their support, but the Traitors remained faithful to each other. There's probably a lesson in there.

Masters of the Universe got a teaser trailer which I think looks like a LOT of fun

And so did a series I didn't even know was happening Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord.

Starfleet Academy had it's most "college humour" episode so far, with a prank war breaking out between the Academy and the War College next door.

And Tom Baker and John Leeson are joining together again to play Holmes and Watson in a new audio drama! Which will also feature Nicholas Rowe, who played Young Sherlock in the Spielberg movie back in the 80's!