Monthly Archive for December, 2007

The Week of January 1st, 2008

Published on December 31, 2007 in Uncategorized. Closed

Okay.  On Friday we get our comic shipment, late again because this time UPS is closed on Monday.
Also on Friday, Iowa’s first in the nation Caucus will be over.  The caucus takes place Thursday night at 7:00.  This has nothing to do with comics, but none the less it’s important to be heard, to be a part of the process and you need to go.  The Caucus is Iowa’s ability to have an undue influence over the nation’s presidential future.  You know where Tyler and I stand.  I support Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd and Tyler, Texas Congressman Ron Paul, but in case you haven’t made up your mind, I’m including a list with all of the candidates and their websites.  If you need any other information, e-mail me and I’ll help.  Here are your choices:
The Democrats
Joe Biden www.joebiden.com
Hillary Clinton www.hillaryclinton.com
Chris Dodd www.chrisdodd.com
John Edwards www.johnedwards.com
Mike Gravel www.gravel08.us
Dennis Kucinich www.dennis4president.com
Barack Obama www.barrackobama.com
Bill Richardson www.richardsonforpresident.com
The Republicans
Rudolph Giuliani www.joinrudy2008.com
Mike Huckabee www.explorehuckabee.com
Duncan Hunter www.gohunter08.com
John McCain www.johnmccain.com
Ron Paul www.ronpaul2008.com
Mitt Romney www.mittromney.com
Fred Thompson www.fred08.com
If you need to find your caucus location check out either, for Democrats www.iowafirstcaucus.org or Republicans www.iowagop.org

now on to a bit of comic news:
This info comes from Diamond Comic Distributors:
Paramount Pictures has begun casting for its live-action adaptation of Hasbro’s beloved G.I. Joe toy franchise.
The new film, which will be directed by Stephen Sommers (Van Helsing), will feature a script from Stuart Beattie and Skip Woods. Several actors have signed on to play the popular characters in the feature film beginning with Sienna Miller, who will don the familiar glasses and sneer of Cobra villain, The Baroness. Ray Park (X-Men, Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace) has joined the film as Snake Eyes and promises to bring his martial arts expertise to the role of the silent commando. Additionally, Rachel Nichols (Alias), Byeong-Heon Lee, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Lost) and Said Taghmaoui have signed on as Scarlett, Storm Shadow, Heavy Duty and Breaker, respectively.
GAHK!!! NO.  I don’t care how many people say this one is the best movie they have seen, I AM NOT GOING!  Hollywood needs to be stopped, I think I’ve been to harsh on Joe Leiberman and Tipper Gore.

The Week of December 26th

Published on December 26, 2007 in Uncategorized. Closed

I hope everyone has had a good X-Man Day. I personally didn’t do any work from 5:00 Monday till now, Wednesday morning. There’s your Christmas miracle.
Comics are shipping late this week and next, on Friday. The reason is that Diamond was closed on the 24th and UPS will be closed on Dec 31st. You would think as a company, Diamond would adjust their workers to compensate, but then again they aren’t the ones who are inconvenienced.
If you didn’t receive everything you wanted, remember (PURE SALES PLUG ALERT!) to come in and get it or order it for yourself. It is a slight problem this time of year. Us comic collectors sort-of get half of what we want. Mothers and relatives are rarely comfortable in a comic book shop. My mother has only bought one comic book for me in my life that I wasn’t standing next to her pestering her insistently with… and that one comic I already had. So, consequently I never got comics, what I always wanted for Christmas. So, Blah Blah Blah, we’ll take care of you.
Now on to the trailer park. Have you seen all of these movie trailers that are out. Here is a list with hopefully working links to each. The best of the bunch is Hellboy 2. It looks, as any del Toro film looks, amazing. I think Batman 6 looks like ass, big shocker. Here are the links.  You’ll have to cut and paste as my blog posting software is acting like a bitch.
Hellboy 2 – www.myspace.com/trailerpark or www.hellboymovie.com
Dark Knight – www.apple.com/trailers/wb/thedarkknight/trailer1
and a bootleg of the first six minutes of the movie here: www.dark-knight-trailer.blogspot.com/
You might want to wander around on that site. They have lots of trailers and generally cool stuff on it.
Iron Man – www.imdb.com/title/tt0371746/trailers-screenplay-E34667-314
I’m pretty critical of Comic to film adapations, this one looks great.
Get Smart – www.imdb.com/video/trailer/me60843468/
What? it has Steve Carell and The Rock.

And while we are on the subject of movies, you may not have heard this tid bit of information, as it was released during the Christmas crazy time. Peter Jackson will executive produce The Hobbit and a second LOTR related film. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is the best set of films ever produced, however, the Hobbit is needed to truly understand the LOTR (and a better book too.) The film was wrapped up in legal muck since before the LOTR films were even started. Jackson’s involvement will most likely not include directing, however, he will oversee and have final say on a director, cast, script and digital effects (probably his own Weta workshop, who did the LOTR CGI stuff.) Names being thrown about include Guillermo del Toro for director. Both films will be made simultaneously and the first is expected to be out in December of 2010. If you doubt any of this information, as I did when I was first told, you can read an article at: www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-hobbit-peter-jackson,0,1727403.story

The Week of December 17th

Published on December 18, 2007 in Uncategorized. Closed

Reminder, comics that would have shipped on Wednesday the 26th will be delayed until Friday the 28th next week.  This is the same for the week of New Years.
You have another chance to get your packages wrapped at the Cup on Saturday between noon and three.  Jen and Cathy will help you get your stuff wrapped (even if it wasn’t bought at my shop,) for a donation to the Animal Life Line.  I will most certainly be taking advantage of this opportunity and then lying to my mother that I wrapped them myself.
There is a couple of books coming out this week you might want to know about.
First, another What if… title, but this one is about Civil War. It has got the most press and much of it is written by Ed Brubaker.  There are two covers, one normal, one a wrap.
Next, Umbrella Academy issue four.  This book is great.  We got in a few copies of issues one through three last week.  If you are not reading it and want something good, therefore, not DC or Marvel, you must check out this book.  The basic story is about a group of kid superheroes and what happens to them year’s later.
Ex Machina number thirty three also hits shelves.  I have railed on and on about this book since it started.  This is smart comics for smart readers.  You want to be looked at as a smart comic reader, right?  This is a book that looks at a superhero who becomes mayor of New York.  Written by Brian K. Vaughn.  Illustrated by Tony Harris (who did Starman, and if you haven’t read that… stop now.  turn off your monitor and go buy the first volume.)
Speaking of the Vaughn.  There is a hardcover of The Escapists coming in as well.  This is a great book that slipped under the radar last year.  It tells the story of a group of comic creators who are trying to get a revamped version of The Escapist off the ground in the indy comic world.  If you have not read the book The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Clay, then this book would probably hold less of your interest, but if you have you need to read this excellent comic.  If you have not read Caviler and Clay, you really should.  This is a Pulitzer Prize winning book all comic collectors should be required to finish.  It is one of the best books I’ve ever read.

The Week of December 10th

Published on December 10, 2007 in Uncategorized. Closed

One of my best coffee customers is an officer in the Army reserves and runs the Toys for Tots drive in Des Moines.  Chris has asked me to ask you for toys.  They need new unwrapped toys or cash donations for ages one to three, eight to twelve and thirteen plus for either boys or girls.  If you would like to donate or drop off you can do so at the shop and we’ll get them to the reserves.  Let me to know if you need more information.
Also, two of my other best customers are going to be in the shop on the next two Saturday’s gift wrapping for donations for Animal Life Line, a no kill animal shelter here on the South Side.  Stop in, buy some stuff and get it wrapped up.  I know I’ll stop in, because wrapping gifts well is hard.
Now on to comic stuff…
I like being proven right from time to time when it comes to comic and Northlanders did that last week.  The new Vertigo book about Vikings is damn good.  Just enough violence and quality storyline to get me interested and will most certainly be reading the next issue.
AND… I’ve actually enjoyed The X-Men crossover, Messiah Complex.  Is it the best thing out right now? No.  Is it the best comics I can read right now? No.  But what it is a weekly, or damn close to it, book that actually is readable.  It sure beats the hell out of Countdown.  However, if you want to get on board, you will need to let me know soon, I may not be able to get all the parts of it soon.

The Week of December 3rd

Published on December 3, 2007 in Uncategorized. Closed

I’m sorry, but I’ve got nothing this week. I’ve been to busy with the Chris Dodd event, which was a success – thanks for asking, and I’ve just not looked for or would have the energy for a good rant right now.

Maybe next week I’ll finally go off on the horror of Wizard Rag-azine.
Instead just two small things for you.

First, have you been to the new Hellboy 2 website?

If not, get your ass there now. The first movie was the best superhero adaptation done so far, granted with Batman and any of those crappy Marvel movies they could have had Ron Perlman stand in front of a brick wall and it would have been better… but none the less, the Hellboy site is here: www.hellboymovie.com and for Hellboy comic news: www.hellboy.com

Second, a book is out this week that might interest you. It’s called Northlanders. It’s put out by Vertigo, written by Brian Wood and it’s about Vikings. Really, those three things are all you should need, but I’ve read the preview that was in the back of one of the other Vertigo books and I can tell you it’s intriguing and should be good and bloody. The story at least starts with one northlander’s return to the land he has tried to leave behind. Wood is the creator of DMZ, which you should be reading if you are not. He has done a bunch of good stuff in the past (Local, Fight for the Future and Demo – to name a few) and this should be equal to better to any of the past stuff. It’s in on Wednesday.