TALES FROM THE TUBS! PART 7 Rediscovering Mattel DC Universe Classics Fr...

Canada Post and Black Tower

 Re ordering Black Tower Books if you are in Canada:

"Hi there,

We wanted to follow up about service disruptions for shipments to and within Canada that may affect your book orders. 

The Canada Post strike will go into effect on Friday, May 23rd at 12:00 am local time. To ensure timely delivery, we suggest you and your customers select Ground shipping for orders delivered to Canadian addresses. Mail and Priority Mail shipping methods will ship via Ground, in which case the shipping costs for Mail and Priority Mail will be temporarily adjusted.

You can follow Canada Post’s updates here.

We're proactively working to minimize any impact while ensuring your books still reach their destinations reliably. 

If you have any questions, please reply to this email to contact our support team.

- The Lulu Team"

The most sought-after Tarzan game. ASMR toys review.

Ahhh. This shows the set that included the two Tarzan figures I recently posted on. Apparently each figure should have cost £10-£20!!!

Marvel Movies I Will NEVER Watch Again

 I've written it before and I stick with it.

Thor: Love and Thunder -Christian Bale seemed to be the only one really acting. It was an absolutely awfully, disjointed movie that had a good basic story but a director whose head was up his own ass. Thor: Ragnarok had some good scenes but let's face it the director wanted slap-stick comedy and to get his money. Just about watchable.

Wakanda Forever -yes, it was very sad that Chadwick Boseman died at such an early age but the fact that this movie  stressed the point over and over again to the point that you screamed  "Cut it the ***** out now!"  was not good. It was a film that showed where Marvel movies were going wrong; tedious and boring "Colonist" and reverse racism lines (if those lines were aimed at black characters there would have been an out cry and scandal). "Gay Pride" Namor and all the ridiculous and virtue signalling back story made this, apart from a few scenes, unwatchable a second time.

The Eternals -there was no story. Even the action figures sold very badly. This was the MCU trying to tick every virtue signalling box it could and then went too far casting Harry Styles as Starfox (luckily that was the end of the movie). Dane Whitman almost ready to take the sword as the Black Knight stopped like a car hitting a concrete bunker at 150mph.

These DVDs are stuck at the back of a shelf gathering dust.

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Notice Re Canada

 No, no, no. I am not going to suggest that Canada and the Gulf of Canada become part of

Australia.

As if the fact that sales are bad was not enough even as a UK based publisher I get hit with US taxes on sales no matter how low and the print on demand company ALWAYS waits until the exchange rate is in the $ favour (as they are US based) there is now potential disruption for anyone wanting to purchase Black Tower books in Canada.

Here is what I got sent:

"Hi there,

"We wanted to reach out about potential service disruptions for shipments to and within Canada that might affect your book orders in the coming weeks. 

"What's happening: 

Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) are working through negotiations to renew their collective agreement in effect until May 22, 2025. If they do not reach an agreement, we want to be transparent about the latest developments and how this might affect your orders. 

"You can follow Canada Post’s updates here.

"In the event of a postal strike, to ensure timely delivery, we suggest selecting Ground shipping for orders delivered to Canadian addresses. Mail and Priority Mail shipping methods will ship via Ground, in which case the shipping costs for Mail and Priority Mail may be temporarily adjusted.

"What this means for you: 

Right now, no actions are required. We're proactively working to minimize any impact while ensuring your books still reach their destinations reliably. 

"If you have any questions, please reply to this email to contact our support team.

- The Lulu Team "

Which means I am unlikely to get that penthouse apartment any time soon.

Likely No More You Tube Videos Shared Here

 It is very likely, based on what is currently going on, that I will be unable to share You Tube

videos as before. It is NOT a copyright issue since some of the You Tubers have enjoyed extra views.

A large number of YT creators are reporting how views have drastically declined over the last month and some are reporting the views etc are so low they may leave YT. A lot of work on videos for very few views. Those depending on YT for money.. I know two have now left and gotten jobs elsewhere.

The problem?  I explained to several of the creators:

"In the last month I have had to give up watching favourite YT channels. It is not the content as it is still interesting but YT has now crammed every video full of ads and ad blockers get you locked out of YT.

"Two ads before a video -okay. Then another ad break 2 minutes into a video and in one 10 minute video 7 ads. I was watching a music video and 1 minute into the song...an ad!!

"Uploaders are reporting falling views across all genres and (in the UK) £14.95 EVERY month to not have ads is way too expensive. It is pure greed and even on Reddit there are pages discussing this.

"There is nothing wrong with your content it is just YT pushing people away. Incidentally, YT told me uploaders put the ads in but having chatted with 10 uploaders I found this was false.

"I hope it gets resolved but YT seems set on the greed over anything else train."

YouTube typically pays between $0.01 and $0.03 per view. This means for every 1,000 views, a YouTuber can earn between $10 and $30. 

As of March 5, 2025, YouTube has 125 million subscribers for YouTube Music and Premium combined. This figure includes both paying subscribers and those on free trials. This is an increase from 100 million subscribers reported at the start of February 2024. 

Assuming that those subscribers are paying £14.95 a month (there are a couple of rates but let's say it is that amount it would mean YT earns  

One billion four hundred ninety-five million

So that means 1000 ads earning a creator $10-30 is...."piss in the sea"

There may be more accurate figures on what You Tube makes so if you have a link share it but the company has fallen a long way since the "videos for everyone" and it's pioneering days: 

"In its early years, YouTube played a significant role in supporting and showcasing creative talent. By providing a platform for individuals to upload and share videos, it democratized content creation and allowed a wide range of artists, musicians, and filmmakers to reach a global audience. This early support laid the groundwork for the diverse and thriving creative community "

Like Face Book and other former social and creative media greed won out and You Tube is slowly losing creators.

Pity that all the YT visitors do not complain in numbers. I share a video here then the viewer gets ads thrown at them so I go by what I find IF I can view videos that can be shared -but ads, ads, ads...nope. Greg Cook, Robo Don't Know and many others are now unwatchable.

Noah Cyrus, Fleet Foxes - Don't Put It All On Me (Official Video)

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THE IMPRESSIVE POSES OF 12 LITTLE SOLDIERS

Black Tower Wilberforce: A Jack's Lot Is Not A Happy One

 

A4
B&W
28 pp
£6,00
https://www.lulu.com/en/en/shop/terry-hooper-scharf/wilberforce/paperback/product-1zkwmp8n.html

Wilberforce—a Sergeant on the Metropolitan Police Detective Force. 

But Wilberforce was no common “Jack” (police officer). Even before working with the famous Chung Ling Soo (The Case Of The Thames Serpent), Wilberforce had “tasted the chin strap” on many tough cases –even a stint in the Army saw him used because of his detective skills. 

Here, Ben R. Dilworth, gives us a sneak peek into Wilberforce’s Case Notes for 1896. 

“A Jack’s lot is not a happy one” and Wilberforce was not just dealing with the ordinary criminals such as the nobblers, rampsmen, smashers, mobsmen, snoozers and skinners…. ...there were the spectres, the satanic followers, vampires and other monsters —things the ordinary copper never usually encountered and often scoffed at the stories of. Wilberforce knew better.

Black Tower Xendragon: The Legacy of Frankenstein

 

A4
19pp
£5.00
https://www.lulu.com/en/en/shop/terry-hooper-scharf/xendragon-the-legacy-of-frankenstein/paperback/product-14m92rvv.html

Paranormal investigator Xendragon answers a priest's call for help and travels to Europe. 

The priest is missing. A wereman. A Frankenstein monster. A mad scientist.

 What more needs to be written?

Black Tower Colloquium cum diabolo

 

A4

B&W

12pp

£5.00

https://www.lulu.com/en/en/shop/terry-hooper-scharf/colloquium-cum-diabolo/paperback/product-1ggdrvgp.html

As a vital point in the battle raging on Neo Olympus (Return of the Gods:Twilight of The Super Hewroes) two entities who could shift the balance both ways meet...

One of them is the Devil. 

While their truce is active the duo pass the time recounting two stories.

features a superb cover by Richard Anthony Pester

THIS IS N O T ESSENTIAL READING FOR RETURN OF THE GODS BUT A STAND ALONE ILLUSTRATED TEXT BOOK.

Black Tower Tales of Terror III

 

A4
B&W
62pp
£6.00
https://www.lulu.com/en/en/shop/terry-hooper-scharf/tales-of-terror-iii/paperback/product-16qnwmd7.html

Each year Black Tower likes to bring you a little bit of extra horror/ghostly goodness in Tales of Terror. 

In the third volume there are contributions by Ben R. Dilworth -Krakos and Merriwether. While Paul Ashley Brown brings us the tales of The Worlds Best Mom and revisits his fear of trees! 

Darron Northall and Danny Jenkins bring us the horrific tale of Bud and Lou Go To Hell while George McQueens The Bat deals out justice and Art Wetherell's one pager is designed to make men wince! 

And Terry Hooper-Scharf finally includes issue 1 of The Paranormals to make this a true horror/ghost fest book!