CUP o’ KRYPTONITE

My best friend was coming down to the shop Sunday morning and was, like usual, bringing two of his three little ones with.  He told me that on the way he went over the “rules of the shop” with his four year old.  He nailed them quickly, “the three rules of Matt’s shop are No Running, No Yelling and No Crying.”  I think that is the best thing I have ever heard.  I want them on the door.

Got a bunch of junk for you today.  So, get in your high chair and No Crying.

Kubb o’ Kryptonite…

There is no “party” at the shop this month, but there is an event.  We are having a special “sport” night on Tuesday from 5:00 to 8:00.  We’ll be playing Kubb in the field next to the shop.

What is Kubb you say?  Well, here is the jist, it is a “yard” game created by the Vikings nearly a 1000 years ago and may or may not have involved heads and bones of fallen enemies.  Called Viking Chess, the game involves you tossing small wooden mallets and attempting to knock down opponents Kubbs, small wood markers, and eventually a King in the middle of the playing field.  There is, as with any game, a progression of play in how you go about knocking stuff down and eventually winning, or losing.

I have played and can honestly say it is a blast.  A long time friend and fellow hockey enthusiast showed me the game and taught me the rules a few weeks ago.   I will be there and encourage anyone looking for a nice lazy night out to come down to the shop.  Rules explanations and play will take place from 5:00 to 9:00 and we will have drink specials all night.  For more information, check out the Cityview article at www.dmcityview.com/2010/08/05/arts/locker.html

More sports you say, well sure…

3XW anyone?…

This coming Friday is Cloberpalooza at the Des Moines Social Club and first bell is 7:30.  There are a few great matches on the card that I’m looking forward to, but maybe none more than the Heavyweight Championship Match.  Gage Octane is taking on Champion Rory Fox.  I have nothing against Rory, he seems like a nice enough guy, but I would love to see Gage take that championship.  Octane has been wrestling for some time and is a mainstay of the Gentleman’s Club.  Octane is an fantastic heel and we all know wrestling is better when a villain has the title.

Other matches of interest include some women’s wrestling, several tag team matches (one a defense of the Tag Championship by the Gentleman’s Club Members Casanova and Delicious Devin Carter) and what should be a great match between Jimmy Rockwell and the Laotian Sensation Ricky Kwong – he is seriously good.

We have presale tickets at the shop right now.  Only $12 ($15 at the door) and kids are only $6 and they are benefiting “Shoes That Fit,” a charity endeavor that gets needy kids shoes.  $1.00 of every ticket purchased will directly to the charity.  Wrestling, Beer and helping others… um, that is a good night out.

Even more Sports?…

You need a Cup o’ Kryptonite hockey Jersey?  I thought so.  Doesn’t everyone?  You have two weeks to special order yours.  I have our team’s coming in this week and they will be hanging in the shop with the price (which I don’t have 100% ironed out yet as my printer does not have an invoice for me yet.)  Sizes are from Small to XXL and they run a little big (they are hockey jerseys!)  Take a look and see what you think, if you want one, there will be a procedure for putting in a pre-order.  They look pretty sharp.

Enough of that stuff…

On to the part where comics are demonized for political gain!…

As most people know, I am not shy with a political opinion.  I don’t necessarily feel I am right 100% of the time (just 95%), but I do know when I see Bull Sh#T in politics.

As was reported last week on Bleedingcool.com, there is a Democrat, Nancy King, who is running for Maryland State Senate.  Her main campaign theme is Education.  Most people think education is important and it is tough to have a real villain when getting people to support you on this subject.  So, who better to demonize then those old whipping dogs Comic Books!!

Here is a link to a picture of her direct mailing. It is funny that this comes right after I mentioned the studies of a Canadian group showing benefits of comics.  Guess I guess Nancy didn’t get that study.  I also guess Nancy is a [REMOVED DUE TO INAPPROPRIATE LANGUAGE LEARNED IN COMIC BOOKS.]  This is doubly funny if you get my e-mails with pictures, because last week I sent a picture of kids burning comic books back in the 1950’s.  Yes, burning comic books!  Just like the Nazis did with books, ‘cause see they were real bad for yah and ‘cause they caused you to want to murder your families… or something like that.

Hey, but what do I know, I got a public education and still read comics.  OH, but at least I’m not an uninformed fear mongering whore.

Ronnie’s Reviews…

Some quick reviews from sometimes fired, sometimes re-hired, but nearly always hard working Ronnie.
Batman #702
This is the second and final part of Grant Morrison (story) and Tony Daniels’ (art) bridge between R.I.P. and Final Crisis.  It makes a few plot points clearer, while advancing the story, rather than rehashing.  Grant does his Grant-thing, which is letting you think you are getting it, then completely changing the game on you.  He makes you come up with complicated theories to explain what you just saw, then delivers answers the next issue that are simple, yet close to brilliant.  This is also Tony Daniels’ second attempt at inking his own pencils, which I think is making his work much more dynamic, and I am really liking where he is going.  Everything feels like it is moving with lots of sketchy lines and hatching, yet still has his trademark clean detail work.  A great addition to Grant Morrison’s epic Batman story.  4 1/2 stars

Scalped #40
The first six pages of this issue demonstrate the combination of Jason Aaron’s (story) and R.M. Guera’s (art)  mastery on displaying the intensity of human emotion.   Nearly every panel will make you feel something. …man, those faces… This issue shows many of the main players at the lowest points of their lives, and you feel it with them.
This is one of the best issues yet of possibly one of the best series ever.  If you are not reading it, you are seriously missing out.  Pick up issue 35 for a one shot to demonstrate this titles ability to kick you in the gut (Matt – one of the two best comics I’ve read this year.), then read the rest in a rabid fervor.  If this series gets canceled, I am quitting comics.  5 stars.

School is back, Fair is done, heat continues, but fall approaches.  I love and hate the fall.  It means the cold of winter is around the corner with hockey beckoning, but it also means the horror of ordering during September and October.  Not great months for a comic retailer.

I was once told by a Dragon Fire Man, “Be careful in September, it can absolutely kill you.”  Over the years I have learned what he meant.  It is because kids home from college don’t necessarily let you know they are there, they just buy.  You sell out of stuff and you wonder why you are suddenly selling more copies of a title like Moon Knight than ever before.  You order an extra couple and still sell out.  You continue to scratch your head and order another one.  Then September hits and you have a dozen extra copies of… urgh, Moon Knight.

That is what I’m dealing with.  How are you?

Kubb of Kryptonite…

We are having a Learn to Play event “Kubb o’ Kryptonite” at the shop on August 31^st from 5 to 9.  This will be a nice hang out – fun time for all and you might learn something too.

What the hell is Kubb?  Here is the jist, it is a “yard” game created by the Vikings nearly a 1000 years ago and may or may not have involved heads and bones of fallen enemies.  Called Viking Chess, the game involves you tossing small wooden mallets and attempting to knock down opponents Kubbs, small wood markers, and eventually a King in the middle of the playing field.  There is, as with any game, a progression of play in how you go about knocking stuff down and eventually winning, or losing.

I have played and can honestly say it is a blast.  A long time friend and fellow hockey enthusiast showed me the game and taught me the rules a few weeks ago.   I will be there and encourage anyone looking for a nice lazy night out to come down to the shop.  Rules explanations and play will take place from 5:00 to 9:00 and we will have drink specials all night.

For more information, check out the Cityview article at www.dmcityview.com/2010/08/05/arts/locker.html

Hockey anyone?…

Yes this is still a comic blog despite all the “sports.”  Every year I make an announcement to any interested in a beginners, learn to play hockey league.  I am somewhat involved in the adult leagues in Des Moines, currently play in the league just above beginner and want to see all hockey in Des Moines grow.

The details are such: Game/Practice is Sunday afternoons at 2:30.  Season starts in September.  Each week will include instruction and scrimmage.  It is a great way to learn the game, without knowing how to skate previously.  You should catch on quick.

If you would like more information, please e-mail me.

Wrestling Tickets…

Continuing the athletic theme… we have tickets available at the shop for Cloberpalooza, 3XW’s Septmber 3^rd event at the Des Moines Social Club.  I don’t know if you can beat a night out with Wrestling, Beer and friends.  No, seriously, if you question that, you haven’t been.

Featured match this week: The Student vs. Teacher Match, “The Unbreakable” Zach Thompson vs. Brain Ash.  Brain wasn’t always the fantastic heel he is now.  At one time he was both the first 3XW Champion and one of the nicest guys you could ever meet.  However, as goes many a pro-wrestler, a heel turn was needed when money, fame and stars entered Brian’s eyes and now he is simply in this game for the sheer fun of destroying his competition.  Zach, who learned a lot form Brian has been on the fringes of a full blown feud with the Gentleman’s Club, Brian Ash’s personal goon squad.  This might be that tipping point, as if the repeated dirty deeds of the last few cards haven’t been more than enough.

How does Zach pull off a victory against a monster like Brain Ash, easily giving up nearly a hundred pounds and maybe a foot plus… well, dear fans, in baseball pitching and defense win championships.  In Wrestling high flying super moves that electrify the crowd have magic powers beyond what normal height/weight limitations might exist.  This should be a great pugilistic endeavor; class is in session.

Alright, on to the comics…

Scheduling of Comic Releases… Ah, yes.  This is most certainly a rant.

You might notice that two of the three main Batman titles are shipping this week.  Whenever this happens it is an irritation to Kyle and I.  Comics in the 21^st century can not publish just one book for a character, but need three or four.  I know this is nothing new, but for even minor characters there seems to be a new desire to have a near weekly Moon Knight book out.  (You laugh, but this week sees the Shadowland one shot, which adds to his regular book and his appearances in Secret Avengers.)

The problem with six or more Batman, Spiderman, Superman, Wolverine, X-Men, Avengers books is that at some time we are going to need to figure out how to get these out on, what normal people call, a schedule.

Back in the nineties there were five Superman titles, Superman, Action, Adventures of, Man of Steel and Man of Tomorrow and one of these titles came out every week.  Each of these was written and drawn by a different team and yet rarely if ever was this book late (actually I can not remember one being late.)  The editor had to keep the stories coming and on schedule.  They also had little numbers on the front of the covers to indicate that these books would be read in that order.

Being a Superman fan, I loved it.  A Superman book every week, it was great.  And if you were a fan of a specific artist or writer you knew, Action was the third week Superman book.

Now a days, does anyone know when any of this is coming out?  It seems there is always more at the end of the month, even when there is five weeks in a month.  Does a thing called an editor even exist?  I guess not, when one of the editor’s in chief can’t even keep the book he is working on, on time.

This might bother me more than anything in comics.  It is disrespectful to treat fans and customers this way with constantly changing shipping lists and dates.  I would love to have a page on the website to show everyone the next couple months of shipping, but it would NEVER be right.  Hell, the big two can’t even keep their own shipping lists in order on their own sites… which leads to numerous people coming in and asking if comic X has come in.  That usually leads to an exchange of, “No, it didn’t, did you think it was going too?”  “Yes, it said so on…”  We both shake our heads and sigh.

Now, this seems to always be more of an issue this time of year.  Thank you San Diego Comic Con.  Always, Always, Always, after San Diego and Con season the schedules are messed up and books are regularly pushed back.  But why, aren’t the writers and artists working ahead?  Don’t you have a job to do and doesn’t that job come with a deadline?  I don’t get it.  I just went on a vacation and I am not behind in my work one bit.  I have a job with a lot of deadlines that have to be met this month.  I worked ahead and had my stuff done….SO, I could go on vacation.  I don’t get it.

So, back to the fact that two of the three Batman books are coming out this week.  That is not great, but we aren’t even going to see the third Batman book this month.  Obviously, I want them spread out to encourage customers who want and need their (insert superhero name) fix to come in every week.  It doesn’t do me any good to have all the X-books come out on the same week.  I guess I don’t understand and probably never will.

Side Notes…

This is more of an observation than a rant, but it goes with the above nonsense.  Has anyone noticed the insane online desire of the big two to pimp upcoming projects an insanely long time into the future?

Kyle will show me some art of something.  I say how nice that looks and ask when it is going to come out?  His replies are, “four months from now.”

Now, I’m in the position to order this stuff and then adjust it as we get closer to printing, but does this irritate the general comic going public?  I would think it would.  If I didn’t run a comic shop I would think it would drive me mad.  Heck, the big two are pimping their next big thing practically before they have even started the one they are currently on.

Like I said, this is just an observation.  I think someone needs to slap the comic “news” sites silly, but we all know I hate them.

David Finch is going to do his own Batman book too?  Okay.  Sure.  Isn’t that what we used to call annuals?

Go to Wizard World, I would like to hear how it was?…

I’ll be in on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons this week.  If you went, I would like to know how it was.  My hatred of Wizard has no bounds and am wondering how it compared to the C2E2 show.  One of my employees went and I’ll be asking her too.  Just curious.

Would you, if you could, pay $2 million for Batman’s first appearance?…

That is a question being raised now that a non-restored 9.0 CGC graded copy of Detective Comics #27 has allegedly surfaced and might be going up for auction.  Obviously, this would be a new record for a single comic.  Yes, staggering.

I guess I’m just wondering where these new high end copies keep coming from?  I thought, by now, most of the real big ticket, super high grade copies would have all been accounted for.  I guess not.

Nothing official on that sale yet.  Rich Johnston of Bleedingcool.com says it went up and then was taken down quickly with no explanation by the very reputable Metropolis Comics in New York.  Should be interesting to watch for.

I sometimes wonder if I write this thing up and take (waste) all the time to do it and if anyone actually gets anything out of it?  Hey, I feel a lot better about it after some of the responses I received the last couple weeks while I was without a computer.  So, what happened…

The computer overlords from the future visited with a vengeance and I needed the help of a honest to god T-800 to get things back on track.  My buddy Eric forgets more every day about computers than I will know in my lifetime and he helped me get back up and running.  You, sir, are a good robot… Yes you are… good robot.  Remember who your friend is when your switch is flipped and you go on a kill crazy rampage against us fleshy ones.

First, a light rant…

I want to preface what I am about to say with the fact I have lived in Des Moines most of my life.  As a small child into my early adolescence, I and my poor sister were tortured by our parents and forced to go to the horror that is the Iowa State Fair.  This sort of unbridled child abuse will scar a kid.  Since then, I worked at various news organizations in Des Moines and would get sent out to cover stupid Fair crap like the biggest bull or some giant carrot or a cow pie flinging contest.

I HATE the State Fair!!  HATE HATE HATE it!!!  I want to point out this hatred has grown since opening a small business.  You might not know this, but the State Fair is BRUTAL on small business.  Think about it… get into Fair, corn dog or some other stupid crap on a stick, overpriced beer, riding giant slide… all of this is overpriced and ridiculous.  (Now, would I overprice coffee if I was selling it out there?  Yes, but that is not my point.)  So, when you have a minute and are thinking about where to eat on lunch or if you should go pick up a book or record, help out a local small business this week, it would be much appreciated.  That is of course the fried (insert “food”) on a stick didn’t completely put you into the poor house.

What is Kubb?…

You might have seen the signs up in the shop this week for an event on the 31^st of August, “Learn to play Kubb” or Kubb o’ Kryptonite.  You are, as everyone was yesterday, asking What the Hell is Kubb?  Wellllll, that is why we are having this event, duh.

Here is the jist, it is a “yard” game created by the Vikings nearly a 1000 years ago and may or may not have involved heads and bones of fallen enemies.  Called Viking Chess, the game involves you tossing small wooden mallets and attempting to knock down opponents Kubbs, small wood markers, and eventually a King in the middle of the playing field.  There is, as with any game, a progression of play in how you go about knocking stuff down and eventually winning, or losing.

I have played and can honestly say it is a blast.  A long time friend and fellow hockey enthusiast showed me the game and taught me the rules a few weeks ago.   I will be there and encourage anyone looking for a nice lazy night out to come down to the shop.  Rules explanations and play will take place from 5:00 to 9:00 and we will have drink specials all night.

For more information, check out the Cityview article at www.dmcityview.com/2010/08/05/arts/locker.html

Star Wars Celebration this last weekend…

Don’t know if anyone knew it, but a huge event took place this last weekend in LA called Star Wars Celebration.  This is the fifth year they have had it and this year specifically celebrates the 30^th anniversary of Star Wars (I feel old.)

I have some strong feelings about Star Wars, George Lucas and the marketing/destruction of my childhood, buy that is a rant for another time.  The big announcement that was made is that Star Wars is coming to Blue Ray this fall.  (Priced in the crazy range and packaged together, Lucas wants even more of your freaking money for something you already own.)

In conjunction with this, there is a new scene that is being added back into the film, Return of the Jedi.  This scene made it all the way to post production and, as I remember, was in the original novelization of the film (yes, I read anything and everything Star Wars, twice.)  It includes Vader trying to contact/mentally summon/seduce to the Dark Side Luke and Luke in turn working on his lightsabre.  It doesn’t really add anything major to the film, but… it is NEW Star Wars without a whinny child actor or arms flailing CG Stepin Fetchit.

If you want to take a look, and it is still up, check out the link on Bleedingcool.com.  It is worth a look and maybe you will have one of those lost moments of childhood flood back.  I’m just warning you, you it is fleeting and you will probably hate George Lucas more after… but the momentary high is probably worth it.

Actual News…

So, I was going to comment on Robert Kirkman’s comments made last week about mainstream comics not selling to kids properly.  In my opinion, they were the worst kind of self promotion and grandstanding from someone who has come to be known for it now that he has a TV deal.  I’m going to include a link so you can look this up and make a decision for yourself.  Go HERE.

Basically the argument surrounds how kids comics should be published and how to get the right level of maturity into the right hands.  After reading the article (and check out Tom Brevoort’s comments striking back at Kirkman) I feel the real people who have been left out of this argument are those who are actually getting them into the hands of the kids, the retailer.  This industry is not great in so many ways.  It relies on a lot of people who probably shouldn’t be making calls on comics to drive sales and product into the hands of customers.  Kirkman, who once pleaded with his readers to support shops and put his book on a hold list, now writes in a way that encourages trade sales (which are probably much more profitable – for him.)  Kirkman, who has not had a lot of mainstream success, shouldn’t make comments he isn’t backing up by not publishing children appropriate literature (Marvel Zombies, Walking Dead, Invincible – all very violent.)  I think Robert Kirkman needs to be part of the solution and not part of the problem and shut the hell up and write his independent comics, which are still pretty good.  I’m glad the mainstream comic companies (well, Marvel) fired back at him too.  Marvel and DC do publish some very good kids comics.  Are they probably too expensive, yes, but they still keep going and keep the quality pretty good.  They are working on at the very least and Kirkman, well, isn’t helping.

But I’m not going to comment on that…

Instead, I found a very interesting study on Kids and comics from Canada (automatically making it better.)  The study, which is paraphrased at Bleedingcool.com – cause, seriously we don’t all have time to read a study – shows that comics can help, especially young boys, attain and surpass the reading level of their age and that comics are a great “gateway” to encourage other forms of reading.  Once again comics are shown to be good for kids… oh, but wait.

Someone thinks differently.  Bleedingcool.com also has the full story on this as well, and shows it is a pretty shabby argument asserting that superhero archetypes of years past were much better than the ones of today.  However, the study looks to have only studied the superhero of the movies.  Hmmm, movies aren’t good and comics are?  Man, these two studies are awesome!  Read and make your own assessments.

Wrestling Tickets on Sale again…

Just letting you know that pre-sale tickets for 3XWrestling’s Clobberpalooza event on September 3^rd are available.  After watching Sumer Slam last night, I can say without a hesitation that 3XW puts on a MUCH better show then the idiots running and writing the WWE right now, but hey they are more interested in a Senate seat right now than wrestling.  Nonetheless, I’ll have more on matches and whathaveyou later in the month.

And if you hadn’t heard, Jimmy Rockwell DID keep his title at King of Des Moines against five other talented stars.  A hell of a match, one you shouldn’t have missed.

What happened!?!  Did Roddy Piper, just ride up?  Hell has come to frogtown indeed.  I must have missed the memo on boiling child melting week of heat.  Man, I hate this.  Dear Zeus!!  That old person just dissolved before my eyes!!  Intolerable weather.  In cold, you can add as many layers as is needed, not so in this… unbearable-ness.  Bring on winter!

Comic “News”…

Everyone knows I love the site Bleedingcool.com.  This might be the only way I find out about comic “news.” (other than Kyle telling me something.)

Over the last week, the actual “news” has been pretty low.  There hasn’t been a lot to announce, they got nearly everything off their chest in San Diego.  That is okay, because it gives people like Rich Johnston time to post his run around the nutty blog sites.

One of the best I have read recently was from John Byrne.  Those of you who know of some of his posts just shook your head and jumped to the link.  Byrne, one of the mainstays of comics back and hardest workers in the 1980s, is well known for his nutty commentaries on comic books now a days.

So, if you two had your thoughts of who should do a sequel to Watchmen, see who old Johnny Boy thinks should: Bleedingcool.com, it’ll make your head swim.  I’m concerned, because it kind of makes sense.

Rich also posted a great commentary on the latest issue of Amazing Spider-man.  It is pretty good and really lays down what we are all thinking.  Find it here.

I’m not really sure what to think of this whole thing.  I’ve hated Spider-man and Marvel and Quesada for the changes in Amazing for years now.  I didn’t like it before they changed stuff, but at least it sold, so, I could deal with it.  I’m going to hold off true judgment until the end (which is now at the very least will be two weeks later than planned.)  I can say this though, the Marcos Martin art in the two page Stan Lee written story in the back of the book actually has me excited about the end of each issue.  Yeah… two pages.  Now that’s a ringing endorsement for the comic.

Crossed: Family Values…

We have a winner!  This is the new and crowned king.  Issue three of Crossed: Family Values has more disturbing, horrible, f#@%ed up moments than any comic I have ever read.  (Taking the crown from Warren Ellis’s Scars #1, published by Avatar some years back.)

For those of you who do not know, Family Values is an additional story set in the same “universe” of Crossed, the series originally started last year by Garth Ennis.  The very popular series saw a plague of Romero-esque crazies who are not quite zombies/not quite 28 Days Later infected descend on the world.  These “infected” peoples have no moral center left in their brains.  They are the worst humanity can do to each other and they are coming for you.  They are the worst nightmare of every and all the zombie/infected stories/movies/comics ever written.

I really liked Garth Ennis’s story.  It was a well done, well executed horror/survival story with fantastic art by Jacen Burrows.  It had all the elements of gross out storytelling, but with just enough truly hard to deal with shocks and occasional moment of tenderness all interwoven for the right kicks to the right areas of your body.  It was also very successful.

Over the last couple years, Avatar has become a force to be reckoned with in the comic industry.  Known for publishing hardcore horror stories with no holds barred on the art and visuals.  Writers are learning that if a company turns down a story idea because of qualms and concerns over content, there is a place for it.  Because of the success, they are able to dive into new areas of hard edged sci-fi too, like Supergod.

Well, success needs sequels, but who to write something a sequel more messed up than the most extreme zombie/infected story ever seen.  OH, how about David Lapham?

If you do not know Lapham’s work, you should.  He has been writing for a long time, but rarely on any major mainstream books.  His styles just aren’t… mainstream.  He is, however, one of the most talented writers in the industry.  Lapham is probably best known for Stray Bullets, the character driven crime oriented on-going and independent comic started in the early nineties.  Issue two was the first thing I ever read that really bothered me.  I don’t even remember exactly why, but the visuals mixed with the story, time period and events were a stew of disturbing.  However, I kind of liked it and wanted more in the same vain.

So, Family Values… What is worse, killer infected morally reprehensible monsters or your family?  The story surrounds a large extended family is delivered from the point of view of Addy, one of several daughters living under a very patriarchal god fearing and serving father.  Those left try to survive the Crossed outbreak and attempt to restart some kind of a life, but in horror survival stories, that is but the premise and the hope.  Among the most disturbing elements in the story are incest, rape, cannibalism and brutal, brutal death and most of that happens before the crossed even arrive in the first issue.

Yes, but what makes issue three sooooo bad, you ask?  I’m not saying, you just have to read it.

The last word on this book… if you read it, great, but keep it out of the hands of those who shouldn’t, especially the religious right.  I am amazed there hasn’t been some kind of uproar about this and several other books published in recent years.  I am waiting in fear for the freak out as some idiot retailer somewhere sells some Avatar book to a 10 year old and the Comic Book Legal Defense team has to go into action to bail him out, literally.  I like horror and I like being shocked from time to time.  There is a place for disturbing horror and even if it isn’t for you, it is for some people.  Just know your limits and the number to a good psychologist if you like it too much.

Quick Review…

I borrowed a recent release from Ronnie this last week (have been reading a lot without a computer to distract me.)  It is called Revolver and is an original graphic novel from artist/writer Matt Kindt.  It tells the story of someone living two lives, in two alternate realities.  One a desperate survival story in a martial law declared near-post apocalyptic setting and the other in standard old boring here and now.

A fantastic read that has lots of sci-fi, but not Daleks and phasers set on kill sci-fi, if you get my meaning.

The ending is twisty and had elements I personally did not agree with, but I did not dislike it enough to ruin an immensely enjoyable read.

Movie Reviews… and a review of “Batman: Under the Red Hood”

Dan Finney, customer and all round good guy, has a great simple movie review site he has set up called Finney’s Five Sentence Reviews.  The name says it all, five sentences to review films.  Really, do we need more than that?  No.

In one of his latest, he reviews the latest DC animated offering, which they seem to be releasing these faster than some of their comics (All Star Batman and Robin?)  I haven’t seen the film yet, but Dan probably nails it dead on the head.  Go check his site out.

There is a special advance screening of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World on Thursday, August 12th at 7:30 and WE HAVE TICKETS!!

Here are the details:

Come into the shop before Wednesday at Noon.

Sign up with name, number and e-mail.

We will than notify you that afternoon and the lucky ones can come get their tickets.

OR, you can be one of first six people to buy one of the Scott Pilgrim Trades we have in the shop (or pre-pay for one to be delivered on Wednesday) and we’ll just give you a ticket right then and there.

Tickets admit two.