talking about some of my favorite comic book covers and a few details about each

Predator: Badlands is the rare entry in a long-running franchise that manages to push boundaries without losing what makes the series great. It’s intense, beautifully crafted, and full of adrenaline-charged set pieces. More importantly, it expands the Predator universe in ways that feel authentic and exciting.

If you’re a fan of sci-fi action, creature design, or the Predator mythology, this one is absolutely worth your time.

In 1992, Spawn exploded onto the scene like nothing else on the shelves. Comics at the time were dominated by familiar superhero formulas, but Spawn hit readers with a darker, grittier, almost rebellious energy. Todd McFarlane’s art was electric—hyper-detailed capes, wild chains, supernatural violence, and an antihero dripping with attitude. This wasn’t the clean, polished world of traditional superheroes. It felt dangerous, edgy, and new. And for a generation of readers, especially teenagers who wanted something that broke the rules, Spawn delivered a world where a tortured former soldier battles demons, corrupt institutions, and even Heaven itself. It was heavy metal on paper.

But what made Spawn truly cool wasn’t just the visuals or the brutality—it was the moment it arrived. Image Comics had just been formed by a group of superstar artists who walked out of Marvel to take creative control of their own characters. That real-life rebellion gave Spawn an aura of independence and authenticity. This was a comic created by someone doing it his way, with his own character, his own universe, and no corporate leash. And readers felt that. The book was stylish, cinematic, and completely committed to its tone. In 1992, Spawn wasn’t just another comic on the rack—it was a statement. It said comics could be creator-owned, visually mind-blowing, and unapologetically bold. That’s why it hit so hard—and why its debut is still legendary today.

In this episode of NerdPutty, we plug back into The Matrix — the mind-bending 1999 classic that changed cinema forever. Before social media spoilers and trailer breakdowns, this movie hit like a digital thunderclap: a cryptic question, a revolutionary style, and a story that made us feel like we were waking up right beside Neo. From bullet time and black trench coats to that iconic Rage Against the Machine finale, The Matrix fused action, philosophy, and attitude into a cinematic awakening that still resonates today — especially in our age of algorithms and AI.

Before comic shops and digital downloads, there was magic in a spinning metal rack at the corner store. From the 1950s through the ’90s, kids discovered heroes with pocket change, the smell of newsprint, and pure luck. In this episode, NerdPutty takes you back to the golden age of newsstand comics — when the world was smaller, the covers were louder, and every issue felt like a secret waiting to be found.

When the Joker puts on lipstick, it’s not FOR SHOW. it’s a weapon befitting the Clown Prince of Crime. His lipstick is laced with Joker Venom, his signature toxin. If you are unlucky enough to get kissed by Joker you will be convulsed by uncontrollable laughter, muscle spasms, paralysis, and eventually suffocation. If he’s in a good mood you might just get dizzy, disoriented, or knocked out cold. In Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, the lipstick was a paralytic with hallucinogenic and mind controlling effects, turning his kiss into your waking nightmare. 

Joker Venom is a concoction, an ever-shifting compound The Joker brews with devious intent. First—A KISS takes you by surprise. Your lips then contort into lock into a hideous toothy grin, followed by hysterical laughter, insanity, convulsions and death. Joker has delivered this venom in nearly every way imaginable: gas clouds puffed from his lapel flower, liquids slipped into drinks, injections hidden in playing cards, in addition to lipstick and perfume. The Joker’s apothecary blends hallucinogens, paralytics, and asphyxiants into a venomous paste, neurotoxic gas or liquid. Joker Venom is a tour-de-force of diabolical chemistry. 

Batman has never been able to keep up with Joker’s never-ending modifications to this evil cosmetic masterpiece.