Gareth-Michael Skarka
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gmskarka.bsky.social
Gareth-Michael Skarka
@gmskarka.bsky.social
Writer (comics and fiction), game designer (most recently FAR WEST), consultant/researcher (most recently on Netflix’s THE OLD GUARD) and publisher (Adamant Entertainment). Big Ol’ Nerd, Socialist, Antifascist and Abolitionist.
I miss Dave Stevens.
January 3, 2026 at 4:49 AM
Reposted by Gareth-Michael Skarka
The one exception to this being @gregrucka.com's QUEEN & COUNTRY series, which is simultaneously the best parts of THE SANDBAGGERS and its own unique thing.
January 3, 2026 at 12:42 AM
Reposted by Gareth-Michael Skarka
I love spy stories, and by that I mean I love THE SANDBAGGERS and am constantly disappointed by other spy stories that are not THE SANDBAGGERS.
January 3, 2026 at 12:40 AM
Looking forward to DC Comics’ Next Level launches this year, especially @gregrucka.com’s BATWOMAN and @joshuawilliamson.bsky.social’s take on one of my favorite teams, the LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES.

Looks like 2026 will have me buying comics again!
January 3, 2026 at 1:50 AM
One of my favorite scifi series, first broadcast on this day in 1978 (although I didn’t see it in the US until 10 years later).

My daughter got me the Series 1 BluRay for Christmas, so I’ll be doing a rewatch soon!
Opening titles for "Blake's 7" (first transmitted 02/01/78).
Music by Dudley Simpson.

In the future, Blake and his crew struggle against the totalitarian Federation...

The series was devised by Terry Nation who had created the Daleks for "Dr Who".

#sciencefiction #scifi #Blakes7 #1970s #horror
January 3, 2026 at 12:12 AM
Introduce yourself as what almost killed you:

Hi, I’m the FAR WEST Kickstarter.

(No joke—stress-related infection led to intestinal perforations, leading to a massive abdominal infection that was barely caught in time. Still spent almost 2 weeks in the hospital.)
Hi, I'm the ground.

Oh, okay. It's just that it wasn't walking off the roof of my parents' house when I was three that almost killed me, and it wasn't the fall that almost killed me. It was the ground that stopped my fall.

(Yes. I fell on my head as a child. Let the jokes begin!)
Introduce yourself as what almost killed you:

Hi, I'm the fireball from the kitchen oven
January 2, 2026 at 9:52 PM
Closed out 2025 by watching the Stranger Things finale, which I quite enjoyed. Glad that overall, they managed to stick the landing.
January 1, 2026 at 5:46 AM
Reposted by Gareth-Michael Skarka
Replace "good" with "American" and you got a slogan.
And I think liberals should stop taking the bait and ceding ground on immigration.

Immigration is good. Multiculturalism is good. Free trade is good. Stop being embarrassed to say so.
January 1, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Keep seeing ads for the Byrna “non lethal self defense weapon” (the stupid one that uses a banana as a placeholder for the weapon)…

The ad talks about “riots and violent looting all over the country.”

What. The. Actual. FUCK.
January 1, 2026 at 12:34 AM
Important thread. Read.
FWIW, I've never had a year typify "You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fail to the level of your systems" more than 2025. Emotionally and energy wise --fires and fascism factored in -- I've never been more punched out. But I worked and lined up more work based on old habits saving me.
December 31, 2025 at 10:39 PM
New blog post up at my website:

gmskarka.com/2025/12/31/y...
Year’s End – The Designer Monologues
gmskarka.com
December 31, 2025 at 8:26 PM
What was your biggest impact on the internet?

I coined Skarka’s Law:

rationalwiki.org/wiki/Interne...
December 31, 2025 at 7:39 PM
R.I.P Tim. Thanks for the influence your work had on me.

In other news, I really miss TTRPG magazines. A helluva lot.
Jim Wampler announced this morning that we lost Tim Kask, who passed in his sleep on the 30th.

Tim was the creator of The Dragon, which set the foundation for what an industry-focused magazine should be. He was an icon and one of the few early founders of TSR still with us.
December 31, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Reposted by Gareth-Michael Skarka
oh christ look at the time
December 12, 2023 at 9:21 PM
Reposted by Gareth-Michael Skarka
The NY Times just goes through the same Rolodex of voters who help them build the narrative they want to create. Rigged journalism.
Incredible lol
December 30, 2025 at 8:05 PM
How I’m walking out of 2025
December 30, 2025 at 5:01 AM
I’ve spent 30 years working at various nerd conventions.

It would probably take less time for me to list minor celebrities that I *haven’t* interacted with!
Right folks. Feeling rather down at the moment so bringing back an oldie

Please Quote this with your most minor celebrity interaction
December 29, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Reposted by Gareth-Michael Skarka
"Emerging from this dark period in our history will require a sweeping, comprehensive strategy of repudiation and repair, one that encompasses the substantive, the procedural, and the symbolic."
"Trump will live forever, but only as a cautionary tale, one we tell successive generations to demonstrate that sustaining a democracy against the corrupt and the malevolent requires vigilance and determination." — @paulwaldman.bsky.social
Why every vestige of Trump must be torn down
He's trying to create a physical legacy. The moment he's out of power, it has to be smashed to bits.
www.publicnotice.co
December 29, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Where to buy physical media— some good sources here.

www.itsthepictures.com/where-to-buy...
Where to Buy Physical Media in 2025?
Without Best Buy and Target, where can you buy movies?
www.itsthepictures.com
December 29, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Reposted by Gareth-Michael Skarka
The President of the United States appears to be getting regular IV infusions, the public doesn’t know anything about it, & the DC media evidently doesn’t care.

We are months into the mystery of Trump’s hands, the White House is lying, & I’ve seen a grand total of one serious news story about it.
Trump looked pretty rough today -- note that both of his hands are discolored

(Joe Raedle/Getty)
December 29, 2025 at 1:40 AM
How many times can they write the same fucking article, only to discover that the wealthy don’t want to give up the vibe of where they are, to move to the wanna-be version?
Billionaires are considering cutting or reducing their ties to California by the end of the year because of a proposed ballot measure that could tax the state’s wealthiest residents.
A Wealth Tax Floated in California Has Billionaires Thinking of Leaving
It’s uncertain whether the proposal will reach the statewide ballot in November, but some billionaires like Peter Thiel and Larry Page may be unwilling to take the risk.
nyti.ms
December 27, 2025 at 4:22 AM
Attention, @romulanarchive.com : pursuant to your interests…
I just discovered there's a power metal band based on the Romulans from Star Trek.
Of Romulus - Of Romulus
YouTube video by Of Romulus
www.youtube.com
December 27, 2025 at 4:01 AM
For folks who might remember: I assembled a Spotify playlist featuring all of my Friday Music Christmas collections. Listen & enjoy!

open.spotify.com/playlist/7oJ...
Christmas Mix
open.spotify.com
December 24, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Reposted by Gareth-Michael Skarka
Sigh. Once again, if you are warning us about fascism while posting on Substack you’re asking us to do work YOU 👏 ARE 👏 NOT 👏 WILLING 👏 TO 👏 DO.
December 24, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Hey @sportingkc.com —a rebuilding season might require some new players and, oh I dunno, a coach… When can we expect some news?
December 24, 2025 at 4:40 PM