Saturday, January 17, 2026

A Hypothetical Subscription Model

I have often suggested the idea of subscribing by mail to comic books as a less expensive alternative to buying them at comic book shops.  (For example, see my 2022 blog post "How to Subscribe to Comic Books Through the Mail," as well as my 2024 post titled "My Subscription to Captain America in 2023," and more recently my YouTube video "How to Subscribe to Comic Books Through the Mail in 2025" from last year.)

The disadvantage to subscribing by mail is that the issues may arrive a week or two (or more) after their release dates in stores, and might arrive in less than pristine condition due to being mailed in a thin plastic wrapper.  Therefore it might not be ideal for a serious collector or hardcore fan.  But for a casual reader, particularly a person who doesn't live near a comics shop, it can be a great way to keep up with the latest comic books.  Gift subscriptions could also allow a parent to get their child into the habit of reading regularly without having to visit a store every month to do so.  

Midtown Comics is the company that handles the subscriptions for Marvel and DC comics.  Archie Comics subscriptions are mailed in a similar manner (in a plastic wrapper) but seem to be handled by someone other Midtown.  Not every Marvel and DC series can be subscribed to, although the most popular titles are generally represented.  Even mini-series and one-shots are sometimes included on the subscription site.  ("Subscribing" to a one-shot is a good way to inexpensively test the waters and see if subscribing is right for you. If you hate the experience, it only cost you a few bucks to find out.)  

Unfortunately, only Marvel, DC and Archie titles offer these discounted mail subscriptions, to my knowledge.  I've always thought it was a shame that many independents were not also offered that way, particularly for titles that would have appeal for a general, non-fan audience.  (Midtown Comics, like other comic book dealers, does allow customers to order comics from their own website, but that is geared more towards the collector and costs a bit more.)  

Recently Midtown announced that they had set up a new website (with a new URL) for their Marvel subscriptions, since a link to the "Print Subscriptions" was no longer on the Marvel website.  (As of this writing, the subscriptions link is still available on DC's website.) The new site is https://www.comicstoresubscriptions.com/  

This new site is basically the same as the old Marvel subscription site, though, with only Marvel titles listed.  But the generic name of the site got me thinking:  Wouldn't it be great if the site expanded to include all comic book publishers, not just Marvel?

Such a site could be aimed at the general public, including non-fans who may want to give a gift subscription to a friend or relative.  It could include the most popular Marvel, DC and Archie titles, as well as notable series published by Dark Horse, Dynamite, IDW, Image, Mad Cave, Oni Press and others.  

Many indies are publishing licensed titles these days, based on old TV shows or featuring Disney characters.  These are comics that have name recognition with the general public, but those folks probably will never see those comics or know that they exist. (Heck, even some longtime comic book fans may not know about them!)  A general subscription site offering these comics might make it easier for those comics to be discovered by readers.

If a parent wanted to buy a comic subscription for their child, unfortunately they might be discouraged because there are currently no "All Ages" Marvel titles available on the site.  There is a "Rating" tab at the top, but when you click the "Kids" category, no titles show up.  The other ratings are T, T+ and PA.  The T category is the youngest rating available currently and includes titles like Amazing Spider-Man and Star Wars.  

Many other publishers, however, do publish "All Ages" comics, so if their titles were added to the subscription website, that would increase the amount of family friendly material available to customers.  The top of the site could not only include a "Rating" tab, but also a "Publishers" tab, where you could select a particular publisher to view only that publisher's titles.  By clicking "All Series" or "All Publishers" you could view a list of all the comics available on the site to which you can subscribe.

So, that's what I've done below, showing what such a site might look like if you were to view the various comics available from all publishers there.  Of course, I could have added more comics, more publishers, more series, but this demonstrates the idea.  I took the DC images from the DC website, and I took the Marvel images from Midtown's new website for their Marvel subscriptions.  The other images, showing the other publishers, were taken from solicitations of upcoming comic books on my local comics shop's website (where these issues can be advance-ordered).  I made some modifications to show what the issues would cost based on the discounts currently offered for Marvel and DC subscriptions.

So, what do you think?  Would a subscription website like this entice people to buy comic books that they otherwise might not even know about?  Would it help get these comics into the hands of readers who don't go to comics shops?  Or, does it simply reveal that publishers these days are not doing comics that will interest potential readers?  Let me know what you think in the comments!

A HYPOTHETICAL SUBSCRIPTION WEBSITE:


Thanks for reading!

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

My audio and video bookmarks (2026 update)

This blog entry is an update of an earlier one that I wrote way back in 2021 containing links to audio and video channels that I tend to enjoy. The list is basically for my own use, to have a lot of my favorite links stored in one easy-to-find location.  A lot has changed since 2021, which required removing several defunct links and rewriting certain sections below. However I've decided not to delete the earlier blog post -- even though this new post replaces it -- in the interests of not deleting my own history.  (This page last updated on January 7, 2026.)

So, here are some audio and video links that I've found useful:

PLUTO TV:
This site's "live TV" section is free, supported by occasional commercial interruptions like broadcast television, and has a gazillion channels.  It's a lot like watching regular TV, but each channel will sometimes focus on just one show.  Here are direct links to some of Pluto TV's channels. Note that when you visit the links below, the default setting on the site is for the sound off.  You must click the red "Unmute" button in the bottom left corner of the screen to hear the audio of the program.

ABC NEWS LIVE:
This channel can also be watched on YouTube here.

BBC NEWS:
This channel can also be watched on the BBC website here.

BRITBOX MYSTERIES:

CBS NEWS 24/7:
CBS News 24-hour live news channel. This channel can also be watched on YouTube here
There are also numerous local CBSN channels for various cities located in the "Local Channels" section of the site.  For example, CBSN NEW YORK can be found on PlutoTV here.

DOCTOR WHO:
This used to be my favorite Pluto TV channel, but nowadays I can just watch classic "Doctor Who" channels on the official YouTube channel instead. I have a blog post about the YouTube channel's offerings. 

CLASSICA (classical music):

THE LONE RANGER:

MTV SPANKIN' NEW:
Does MTV still play music videos?  Yep, there are numerous music video channels on PlutoTV, including this one which focuses on newer artists.

NBC NEWS NOW:
This channel can also be watched on YouTube here.

NEWS 12 NEW YORK:


TUBI TV
Like Pluto TV, Tubi TV has a large selection of "live TV" channels -- some of which are the same ones that Pluto has, but also ones that Pluto doesn't.  (Personally I find the viewing experience on Tubi to be less glitchy, when watching on my laptop, than Pluto.) You can scroll through their live TV offerings at the link below: 

CBC News (Canada) highlights:

Tubi TV also has free video on demand, where users can watch specific episodes of a series by selecting the episode that they want to watch.  There are a ton of series to view on here, so a good way to find shows is to simply browse the site.  The links below provide some highlights.

Silent movies:

Old TV shows:
This page shows various old TV series that are available to watch on demand.  Click the titles to view the programs.  Some of my favorites are:

THE AVENGERS (1960s British TV series):

DARK SHADOWS (1960s gothic soap opera):

DENNIS THE MENACE (1950s/60s sitcom):

FATHER KNOWS BEST (1950s sitcom): 

KAMEN RIDER (classic Japanese superhero TV series):

MUTANT X:

THE PRISONER starring Patrick McGoohan:

THE SAINT (1960s series starring Roger Moore):

SECRET AGENT (a.k.a. DANGER MAN) starring Patrick McGoohan:

SPACE 1999 (1970s series):

THE ROKU CHANNEL:
https://therokuchannel.roku.com/
This is a site similar to Tubi TV which has numerous video-on-demand episodes and movies, but also some live TV streaming channels, including NBC News Now and ABC News Live.  (ABC's website also has a live stream of ABC News.) Simply use the search bar on the site or follow the links to browse the available content.  Some of the available dramas include classic British TV series like Kavanagh QC, Peak Practice and The Darling Buds of May.


The CW:
The site offers free on-demand movies and TV shows, as well as live streaming of various channels.


PBS:
On the PBS website, one can watch live streams of local PBS channels as well as watch video-on-demand episodes.


PUFFER TV:
This site allows views to watch network TV channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS) without having to use an antenna.  The available channels are limited to the California area (stations such as KPIX, KNTV, KTVU, KQED, KRON and KGO) which broadcast programs according to the Pacific time zone.  

Some TV channels provide a live stream of their locally-produced over-the-air content on the websites, such as my local Detroit Fox affiliate:


FILMON:
The above link goes to a live video feed of British TV. Unfortunately, the site only allows visitors to view less than a minute of some British TV for free; paid subscribers to the service are able to view it uninterrupted.  However, if you don't want to pay, just keep refreshing the page before the free minutes is up, to view more of the channel.  To see the BBC One TV schedule, click here.  Generally BBC live TV is not available outside the UK.  The BBC's page for Doctor Who can be found here.

FilmOn also has a Silent Cinema live TV channel which allows viewers to see two minutes of the channel for free.  (Again, just keep refreshing the page if you don't want to pay.)

FilmOn does have some free live TV channels (no refreshing required), such as the EuroTrash channel (of old foreign B-movies).  Click the "Live TV" tab at the top left of the screen to browse the available TV channels; the "free" ones are indicated next to the title of the channel.


FREEINTERTV:
This site has a variety of international TV channels available to watch.

GALXY TV:
This is another site that has live channels that can be viewed online.

GIA TV:
This site has many streaming channels, including Throwback Television (consisting of old TV shows).


YOUTUBE:
This site, of course, has some TV episodes, radio episodes, and movies for free, as well as user-generated content of interest.  

YouTube channels devoted to old movies include Moviecraft, Inc.Silent Film HouseI Demand Complete Silents and more. 

YouTube channels showing British TV shows include BBC Archive, Classic British Telly, Play for Forever and Soap Reupload.  

Kamen Rider and other Japanese live-action action shows can be found on the TokuSHOUTsu YouTube channel. 

You can also find here the live feeds for ABC News LiveNBC News Now, and the U.K. channel Sky News.


VIMEO:
This site is like YouTube, where users have uploaded various video content.  For example, here is a reconstruction of the silent film version of The Phantom of the Opera:


RUMBLE:
Rumble is a conservative alternative to YouTube, but also features some videos unrelated to politics. For example, the channel Subtitle Translator has uploaded many old silent movies of interest.


THE INTERNET ARCHIVE:
This site has literally millions of old video and audio to enjoy, including pages to listen to Old Time Radio as well as classic TV and silent movies to watch.


MARIAVISION:
Live TV feed of the Catholic TV channel.


AMERICAN ARCHIVE OF PUBLIC BROADCASTING:
This website contains thousands of archived videos, including episodes of the MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour dating back to 1975 (up to the present), as well as William F. Buckley's Firing Line.  (When going to the pages for those particular series, click the red "View the collection" button to be taken to the page where you can view the episodes.)


iSPOT:
Have you seen a commercial recently on TV and want to watch it again or know more about it (who was the actor, what the plot description was, etc.)?  The above site provides data about new commercials.


-- AUDIO FILES:--

AUDIO VISUALS (1990s Doctor Who fan-made audio dramas):


BBC RADIO:
Until recently, there would be no problem listening to BBC radio shows for free over the internet anywhere in the world via the BBC website. However the BBC has recently moved to limit listening to those in the UK, although the links below still work for me to "listen live" to the most popular channels:  

Some shows can be listened to for a much longer period, and some can also be downloaded as MP3 files so that you can save them permanently on your computer in case the site ever removes the content.  (That link generally not available outside the UK, but can be viewed if you stop the page before it redirects to an error page.)  For example, the page of "In Our Time" podcasts can be found here.

To view lists of BBC radio schedules, click here.  

(BBC Radio 4 is the channel that plays the most original new radio drama.  (Those two links are also generally not available outside the U.K.)  BBC Radio 4 Extra [formerly known as BBC Radio 7] airs a lot of classic radio drama and comedy episodes.)

The BBC Radio 4 Extra page for Sherlock Holmes radio dramas is here.  In the past, listeners outside the U.K. were allowed to hear the shows listed there, but that changed in 2024.  My own favorites were the ones from the 1950s and 1960s starring Carleton Hobbs.  An alternative to hearing those episodes on the BBC website is YouTube, although many of the episodes uploaded there suffer from inferior sound quality. (An exception are those posted by Brodie Vickers.)

DRAMA OF THE WEEK:
The BBC's "Drama of the Week" page highlights a particular radio drama that aired in the past week and makes it available for download.  The episodes are generally only available for 14 days, so it pays to check the page at least once a week to download the available content.  There is also the Comedy of the Week, which is available to download for 30 days.
  

CBC RADIO (Canada):
The live streams of CBC Radio One (talk) and CBC Music [formerly CBC Radio Two] stations can be heard here.


CRNTalk radio:
The live streams of the various channels of CRN radio (which airs conservative talk radio programs) can be heard here. The Michael Medved Show airs weekdays around 4-5 pm EST on CRN1.  


Detroit FM radio stations:
My blog post above from 2023 contains links to the websites of the FM radio stations in the Detroit area, where you can listen live to many of them.  


Earthcam:
Abbey Road crossing 24/7 webcam:


FABCAST (Beatles podcast):


TUNE IN:
I don't have cable TV, but I frequently listen to the live audio feed of CNN on the Tune In website.  You can hear a live feed of MSNow on there as well.  There are numerous radio stations that can be heard on the site.  Local radio stations can be listened to on Tune In, or by visiting each station's website to see if a live audio stream is available.  For example, the local WDTK "The Answer" (formerly "The Patriot") 92.7 FM Detroit channel (which plays conservative talk radio shows) can be heard here and WJR 760 AM Detroit can be heard here.  


MyTuner Radio:
This site also lets you listen live to various radio stations.


The World of Doctor Who: Panel to Panel:
Podcast about Doctor Who comics hosted by Jeremy Bement. This is a continuation of his archived podcast Doctor Who: Panel to Panel that ended in 2024.


Zoomer Radio:
This Canadian radio station airs an hourlong block of old-time radio every weeknight at 10pm EST on the "Theater of the Mind" program, which can be heard online via the "Listen Live" button on the website.


OLD-TIME RADIO:
Many old-time radio episodes can be heard on the aforementioned YouTube and Internet Archive.  For example, the YouTube channels of Brodie Vickers (British radio) and Michael Degen.


Here are a few more pages where OTR files can be downloaded:

Old Time Radio Researchers Group Library:
The Ted Davenport Collection can be found here:
The "Certified" series can be found here:
The OTRR page at the Internet Archive:

Old Time Radio Downloads:

Jerry Haendiges' OTR page:

Old Time Radio Lover:

Old Time Radio Shows on MP3:

Radio Echoes:

The Gildersleeve Project:

jfyuga's Internet Archive uploads:

The Joe Hehn Memorial Collection:

Rand's Esoteric OTR:

Ray Bradbury radio shows:

The Suspense Project:

The Theatre 5 Project:

Well, that should keep you busy watching and listening for now!  :-)