Mike’s Pics and Flix

03/07/2026

https://books.by/mikegagnon/immigration

03/07/2026

Immigration, now available on books.by at https://books.by/mikegagnon/immigration

02/28/2026

🕊R.I.P. to a trailblazer

We mourn the passing of Tatjana Wood, a true pioneer whose work as a colorist defined DC Comics from the late 1960s through the 1980s.

Born in Germany in 1926, Wood immigrated to the U.S. and became one of the few women coloring major superhero and horror titles of her era. Her work on Swamp Thing, Animal Man, All-Star Comics, and countless covers gave stories life, atmosphere, and emotion with every panel.

Tatjana’s distinctive palette and vision shaped the look of a generation of comics and inspired countless artists who followed in her footsteps.
Her legacy lives on in the pages she touched and the creativity she helped inspire. Rest in peace, Tatjana Wood

02/26/2026

Good News!
Garry Chalk, The Voice Of Optimus Primal, Has Won His Battle Against Cancer: We have great to share with all Beast Wars fans. Garry Chalk, The Voice Of Optimus Primal, has won his battle against cancer. Gary Chalk shared this news via his official Facebook account. After a long battle with stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, he’s officially in remission. Read on for his message: “Well hi every one . It has been one heck of a year with many challenges. The state of the industry and health concerns but I have good news ! I am now in full remission and ready to get back to what I love; work.”

02/20/2026

Stop treating licensed comics as second-class stories. They are one of the most effective study tools for aspiring professionals.

Working with established intellectual property requires specific skills that most indie creators never develop. Mastering these makes you an asset to any major publisher.

Here is why licensed comics are a goldmine for your education:

1. Learning Brand Discipline. Telling stories within a rigid framework forces you to be more creative with the tools you are given.
2. Character Consistency. You learn to write and draw characters that belong to the world, not just your personal interpretation.
3. Professional Workflow. These books mimic the high-stakes environment of AAA games and animation with tight deadlines and multiple stakeholders.

I broke down the full strategy in my latest Substack article.

Read the article here: https://open.substack.com/pub/creativeilluminati/p/the-ip-goldmine-why-licensed-comics?r=401urc&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Once you have the theory, put it into practice. At Creative Illuminati, we help you earn professional credits by working on real projects in our community.

02/18/2026

Ever notice a seventy five cent price tag on a nineteen eighties comic book that normally sells for sixty cents? You are likely looking at a Canadian Price Variant: one of the most interesting niches in the hobby right now. These are not reprints. In the eighties, Marvel and DC printed separate newsstand batches for the Canadian market with a higher price point right in the box. Because they were only sold at newsstands in Canada, the print runs were a fraction of the standard US versions. Collectors are now snapping these up because of that scarcity. We recently dove deep into why these command such high premiums in a new article. Take a close look at this Amazing Spider-Man 252. Zoom in on that price box and you will see exactly what makes a newsstand variant stand out. Finding the legendary first appearance of the black suit in a CPV format adds an incredible layer of rarity. Read the full breakdown here: https://open.substack.com/pub/creativeilluminati/p/canadian-price-variants-explained?r=401urc&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true Shop our eBay store for rare finds: https://www.ebay.ca/str/mikespicsandflix

02/14/2026

02/14/2026