NERDS AROUND TOWN
Nerds Around Town: Tom Holland, Zeke and Marvel Comics
Sep 5, 2019, 6:42 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!
Let's finish this week strong!
GOOD DEED OF THE DAY
With Hurricane Dorian going strong, and the first images coming in from the Bahamas, its important to be donating to the Red Cross and other aid agencies around the country. These guys are going to need it.
I'M CALLING BS
Editor in Chief of Marvel Comics just held an interview with a big comic book website and when asked about what he could do to improve, he said nothing. He thinks everything is going great. That's crazy talk, there's always room to improve. The former editor in chief, Joe Quesada used to move from project to project, fixing thing after thing. He brought in Grant Morrison to fix the X Men, and then Brian Michael Bendis to fix the Avengers, then when it was time to redo the X Men afterwards he had Bendis do House of M and change everything. He moved from "issue" to "issue" building up characters and creating opportunities and now the new guy doesn't see things that need to be addressed? That feels like he just wasn't being honest or he isn't being honest with himself. I'm hoping it's that he didn't want to get into a public list with the website but honestly it's likely to be that he thinks it's all blue skies.
MORE MONEY, MORE PROBLEMS
Both Zeke Elliot and Jared Goff got contract extensions announced yesterday. For both of them this now means we're past the "yeah, they're good but how good are they" phase and onto the "will they win Super Bowls" phase. The pressure has shifted; if Zeke is the best running back in the NFL then winning is the only acceptable outcome and with the Rams, as good as they've been, Goff was awful in the Super Bowl, so now it's up to him to step up in those post season moments. $50 million in the first four years? Way to go Zeke.
THE DIVA OF COMIC BOOKS
Rob Liefeld, the true diva of comic books, is one of the guys who co-founded Image. He was also the first founder to be "fired" or "left" or whatever. He made millions during the speculator bubble and then spent the next 20 plus years burning tons of bridges and just being the worst guy possible. There are some in the industry who consider him a Rockstar and perpetually support him in all things he does. But over the last few months he's been in controversy after controversy, from outing a secret DC project about a potential DC/Image crossover, to losing control of Youngblood, to now blaming fellow Image co-founder Todd McFarlane for killing their big project Image United, where each founder was going to draw their characters into the same book written by Robert Kirkman the guy who made Image cool again. I'm honestly over this guy, he recently worked with Marvel on some stuff and I hope Hickman immediately retconned it out of existence. This guy has always been the worst guy in comic books that I've ever heard of and none of this new story makes him seem better.
NOT THAT YOU ASKED
I feel bad for Tom Holland at this point, he was asked about the Marvel issues in in GQ and he had to give the ultimate "I love both parents" answer. Now the reality he has to love working in the Marvel universe because he got to work in this crowded but friendly world. There's no way he's more excited about making a third movie with Tom Hardy than he would be making a movie with Sebastion Stan, Chris Pratt and Chris Hemsworth, you know? I feel like this was a massive let down for him.
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.
What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.
Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.
Depth finally runs dry
It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.
Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.
But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.
The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.
Cracks in the pitching core
And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.
Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.
But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.
Injury handling under fire
Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.
No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.
Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.
Pressure mounts on Dana Brown
All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.
Brown will need to act — and soon.
At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.
*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipeline
via @brianmctaggart pic.twitter.com/K91cGKkcx6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 10, 2025
There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.
A final test before the break
Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.
The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.
There's 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.
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*ChatGPT assisted.
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