NERDS AROUND TOWN
Nerds Around Town: Chicken sandwiches, runaways and Vampirella
Oct 1, 2019, 8:22 am
ART BY JESUS RODRIGUEZ
Born with a comic book in one hand and a remote control in the other, Cory DLG is the talent of Conroe's very own Nerd Thug Radio and Sports. Check out the podcast replay of the FM radio show at www.nerdthugradio.com!
LIGHT THE FUSE
Dynamite comics are releasing a special acetate cover for Vampirella #6 meaning they will lose money on every issue sold. But to them they are happy to do it as they think the marketing and quality cover on the shelf are worth it. The covers, drawn by former DeviantArt user Artgerm, are awesome and honestly they're totally worth checking out but is releasing a cover that makes you lose money on a comic book a good idea? The talk about the comics industry is always, they're losing money, the industry is shrinking, but maybe they're all wrong if someone is willing to lose money like this. Also watching the rise of Artgerm over the past few years is awesome, he started out as a fan artist and slowly he's become one of the hottest cover artists in the game.
CHICKEN SANDWICHES WAR
So are the Popeye's chicken sandwiches ever coming back? Every time I look online to have one of them delivered they are sold out. But in the meantime twice Chic Fil A has twice had free chicken sandwiches delivered to my house while Popeyes can't even sell their sandwiches. It's certainly an interesting dichotomy in how two businesses are run isn't it. One company is trying to measure up and the other company is taking victory laps while still being closed on Sundays.
RUNAWAYS
The return of Runaways is being promoted here lately which means it must be due back on Hulu soon which is great news as the last two seasons has been great, except the end set up an awkward season of body snatching potentially, which isn't fun television-wise. I never really enjoy those type of manufactured suspenseful moments but these guys have done a great job so far so I'm willing to ride with them for one more season especially with Cloak and Dagger coming to town!
NOT THAT YOU ASKED
Work is going great on the second issue of Another Day at the Office, the comedy about a cop in a city full of superheroes. We've gotten penciled pages in and those are going through corrections and we're in talks with a colorist, which is the next step in all of this. I'm hoping to start talking to publishers and hopefully maybe wind up at one of the smaller publishers with this project.
Feel free to check out my brand new comic book Another Day at the Office or buy a shirt from Side Hustle Ts where some proceeds help people struggling with cancer or listen to Nerd Thug Radio. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.
It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday!
*ChatGPT assisted.
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