Tired of politics? Here are some news and notes from the world of pop culture that offer relief from the real world:
Netflix witch glitch: The verdict is in on "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina," and everyone seems to love this dark take on the Archie Comics staple. Well, with the exception of those who are familiar with real witchcraft. The Satanic Temple has sued Netflix and Warner Bros. over the statue of Baphomet shown at the Academy of the Unseen Arts, the show's answer to Harry Potter's Slytherin. The Temple argues that the image is copyrighted, and therefore is being illegally appropriated.
Big times for Rick Grimes: (Spoiler alert!) Despite all the hype, it turns out that Rick Grimes of "The Walking Dead" wasn't killed off in his final episode, which aired Nov. 4. It's true that the character, played by Andrew Lincoln, is leaving the show. But he won't be pushing up daisies, as expected — instead, he'll be making movies. Scott Gimple, chief content officer, announced on the "Talking Dead" follow-up show Nov. 4 that Lincoln will star in three made-for-TV movies in the "Walking Dead" universe, presumably set wherever it is that the Chopper Ex Machina took him to. Meanwhile, the Rick-shaped hole on the TV show will be filled by Danai Gurira (Michonne), Melissa McBride (Carol) and Norman Reedus (Daryl), all of whom are to receive a huge pay raise.
Reception chilly for Bat-nudity: When the first edition of DC's new Black Label line debuted, it was marked "Mature Readers." And, boy, they weren't kidding. "Batman: Damned" No. 1 arrived with something unexpected: two panels of full-frontal Bat-nudity. Sure, the panels were in deep shadow, and the Bat-reveal was extremely subtle, and many readers overlooked the debut of Bruce's Lil Wayne entirely. (Sorry, Batman.) But the internet, as the internet does, quickly drew attention to it, and the inevitable hysteria ensued. Immediate heat — public and corporate — was brought to bear on new DC Comics president Pam Lifford and co-publishers Jim Lee and Dan DiDio. The upshot was much backpedaling, promises to tone down future Black Label (and Vertigo) books, and the elimination of the offensive parts in digital copies of the title and future reprints.
Happy 'Stranger Things' Day: Netflix declared Nov. 6 "Stranger Things" Day, celebrating the date when Will Byers disappeared into the Upside Down in Season 1 of the popular show. Yea, child endangerment! Made-up holidays can be weird. The streaming service released a video from the set of Season 3, with various cast members wishing "Happy 'Stranger Things' Day" to anyone who might think it's a real thing. That's probably all we're going to get until Season 3 debuts, sometime in summer 2019. For those who can't wait — or just like good comics — Dark Horse is publishing a "Stranger Things" title, one that actually tells us things we don't know. It focuses on Will from the time he disappeared (on Nov. 6, remember) until his rescue — scenes we never saw until now. For example, the second issue of "Stranger Things," now on sale, tells us how Will made the lights blink in his home.
