Light Chaser Animation’s Liao Zhai Lan Ruo Si May Well Be Ghosted By Western Distributors, and ….

….it’s easy to see why changes to this narrative is struggling to be visible outside of China. Strange Tales (Liao Zhai Lan Ruo Si) is borrowing from tropes some may say are outdated but not everyone will agree to that accessment.

Liao Zhai Lan Ruo SiLight Chaser Animation

After countless searches and a properly worded query to Claude AI about availability, the elusive Liao Zhai Lan Ruo Si (Curious Tales of a Temple, aka Strange Tales: Lan Ruo Temple) is finally within reach. When it will receive an official release remains uncertain. In a future article, I’ll explore the challenges behind getting Ne Zha 2, White Snake: Afloat, and this work to home video. For now, wht’s offered are my early reactions.

What I’ve managed to see in the wilds of the Internet suggests this is a film worth watching. I won’t dive into a full review just yet, but it’s worth sharing some early impressions. As for how long this fleeting upload remains available is anyone’s guess.

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Free Comic Book Day and Comics Giveaway 2026: My Top Picks on What To Grab May 2nd

Free Comic Book Day 2026 and the inaugural Comics Giveaway Day are both on my radar this year, and there’s a surprisingly fun mix of titles worth watching. From Greatest American Hero to Journey to the West, these are the free comics that are must grabs.

Free Comic Book DayAfter the demise of Diamond Distribution as being the main depot to find comics, and advertise Free Comic Book Day 2026 in their catalogue, it’s harder to know ahead of time what will be released. Thankfully we have the Internet. However, not everyone makes the effort to look ahead. And not everyone knows that there’s “two” events instead of one to cover all the publishers. According to The Beat, there was once a plan to have three, but it’s been scaled back.

Not only is there the normal FCBD, there’s also Comics Giveaway Day. As far as I’m concerned, it’s one and the same, just under different distribution channels. There was supposed to be a third, but when Oni Press threw its support behind the original event, the momentum behind that idea collapsed with it.

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Just One Star Shy: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Strangely Incomplete But Always Joyful

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie delivers colourful cosmic spectacle and plenty of familiar Nintendo charm, but its thin worldbuilding and safe storytelling keep it from reaching the same spark as its predecessor. It’s breezy, playful, and entertaining, even if it leaves its bigger ideas floating unresolved.

The Super Mario Galaxy MovieThe Super Mario Galaxy Movie may be all fun and games for the brothers spending their time in a new world, and as the only plumbers in Princess Peach’s realm, they’re helping keep the peace rather than fixing faucets. But none of them are exactly equipped to deal with their ruler’s current existential woes. When Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) admits she doesn’t know where she came from, the story quietly opens a larger mystery, one it only partially resolves.

That thread leads into the absence of Rosalina (Brie Larson), whose kidnapping by Bowser Jr. sets the events in motion. He leans fully into the shadow of his father, eager to prove himself through familiar cruelty. When this sequel is straightforward and paint-by-numbers, there’s not much to be excited over.

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Must-Read Comic Book Classic Cartoon Releases This Month

From bold crossovers to deeper character explorations, these comic book classic cartoon releases show how familiar worlds can expand in new directions while still holding onto what made them iconic.

Thundercats X Silverhawks- Road To War #1 - Comic Book Classic Cartoon ReleasesThis Spring, a growing wave of animated classics are finding new life on the page, and they are all now available at your local comic book store to pick up. Most of them will carry it, and for those smaller operations whose shelf space is small, they can order these titles in for you! From fresh comic book adaptations to ambitious crossovers, these stories go beyond nostalgia—they expand worlds that fans already love. Some fill in the gaps, others reimagine familiar arcs, but all of these comic book classic cartoon releases are worth your time.

Across publishers like IDW, Dynamite and Boom! Studios, there’s a steady stream of releases that stand out as true must-reads. There are others on the horizon as well—Mad Cave’s Casshan is slated for Fall, while their Gatchaman continuing adventures continues to build momentum.

For now, here’s a breakdown of this month’s must-read releases:

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With Dark Horse in Charge of D&D Now, It’s Not Just Another Ravenloft Comic

Ravenloft Comic Dark HorseIDW Comics’ run with the Dungeons and Dragons license ended last year, and following the success of Dark Horse Comics’ work with Wizards of the Coast, their releases are doing a touch better and the consensus is that fans like it. Ravenloft is the next release. After the first issue of The Fallbacks and the delayed release of the second, there are a lot of titles being planned getting back on track.

The four-issue miniseries written by Bram Stoker Award-winning author Amy Chu (Red Sonja) examines why this particular world is crumbling. Nobody knows why. Fortunately, monster hunter Ez D’Avenir is on the case. She’s searching the frozen wasteland of Lamordia for an undead creature that may hold the key to this world’s fate. But when Darklord Viktra Mordenheim catches wind of her quest, Ez is suddenly the one being hunted. Just how deep this series will go into the lore depends on Chu’s research. It’s also known as The Mists, a more compelling and scary reference in par with Silent Hill.

The art is provided by Ariela Kristantina (Adora and the Distance), colours by Arif Prianto (Poison Ivy, Green Lantern Corps), and letters by Haley Rose-Lyon (BUMP: A Horror Anthology, Jill and the Killers). Issue #1 will feature cover art by Guillem March, Riley Rossmo, Francesco Francavilla, Todor Hristov, and Angela Wu.

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When Project Hail Mary Is About Humanity’s Survival and One Man’s Dream….

…just what this film offers is more about the human need to connect, even in the emptiness of space. Project Hail Mary may feel long, but it serves a meaningful purpose.

Project Hail Mary Movie PosterAfter all the hype surrounding humanity’s return to the stars, Project Hail Mary is a film I had to examine after following the Artemis mission’s orbit around the moon. It may not sound exciting, but ensuring systems work before landing is critical. As for the starship Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) is piloting to Tau Ceti, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I already knew this story. It’s not simply because the film adapts a novel of the same name, but because any geek knows it’s never wise to visit the Ceti system at all.

For any Trekkie, the “Ceti” designation is the ultimate red flag. It’s the neighbourhood of Ceti Alpha V, the wasteland where Captain Kirk exiled Khan Noonien Singh. Sending humanity’s last hope toward a star tied to pop culture infamy feels like the sci-fi equivalent of a slasher movie line, “I’ll be right back.” The real-world science of Tau Ceti is fascinating, but the meta joke is hard to ignore. We picked the one corner of the galaxy known for ear-slugs and vengeance. Thankfully, this film exists outside that shared universe.

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