Monthly Archive for April, 2010

Hellboy in Mexico

Published on April 26, 2010 in Shop Crap. 0 Comments

Hellboy

in Mexico

HellboyinmexicoComic1Cinco de Mayo Party

May 5th, 5:00-8:00

We are celebrating the release of Hellboy in Mexico, Wrestling, evil turkeys, the defeat of the French and terrible Bat Gods.  There will be FREE Cheap Mexican Beer and virgin margaritas to help with the weirdness.  Stop in for big discounts on everything Dark Horse and a chance to win really cool prizes!

3XWrestling will be on hand to promote their next event Over The Top, which takes place on May 7th.

Free Comic Book Day is fine, but this will be fun.  Learn more on our Facebook page.

The Week of April 26th

Published on April 26, 2010 in Comics, Movies and Shop Crap. 0 Comments

So… what a crazy couple of weeks it has been and just heading into an even more crazy few to come.  I have a bunch of shop stuff to get to and through today, with a little commentary on what could be the beginning of the end for comic crazy Hollywood.  First though we need to discuss this social networking thing I’ve discovered… urm, been forced into.  Please Big Brother, I’m LOLing and OMGing and using the newspeak.  I wear my gray jumpsuit.  All for the love of the party.  Comics are peace?

Join us in 1984, or how I stopped worrying and learned to love social networking…

I want you all to stop reading this and go join us on Facebook and Twitter.  Right now!!  Go do it!!  I’m not continuing until you do.  Alright, I had better see a good and serious spike in followers when I log on tomorrow.  If I do not, I’m coming to find you.

Here is the deal, I know I can promote the shop better using these tools.  They seem a little creepy to an old curmudgeon like me, but I understand how you youngsters like your super phones and handheld Blueberry things, what?  Oh, Blackberries, whatever.  All a little Borg like to me.

How do you benefit from this?  When we get a decent number of people on Twitter we will start to offer magic word discounts.  Get a tweet with the magic word, come into the shop and say the magic word, get said discount.  We might do similar stuff on Facebook, but it will be mainly for promoting us and our future events.

So, please, go do this for me.  Okay, you hate me, I get that, so, do it for Curt’s kids.  They are cute and want you to do it.  Make them happy, please?

Hellboy in Mexico, or a Drunken Blur… all on Cinco de Mayo!!

We are celebrating several great things on May 5th including Hellboy, Dark Horse, the defeat of the French, Mexican Beer and WRESTLING all in one big Cinco de Mayo party!!

Eisner winners Mike Mignola and Richard Corben reteam and release Hellboy in Mexico a crazy story combining lucadors, evil turkeys and terrible bat gods!  These two fantastic talents have worked together a couple times now and each book they have put out is better than the last.  Serriously, some of the best comics I’ve read in the last couple years have come from this tag team.  So, why not throw a party?

Besides it being a Wednesday, here are other reasons to show up:

  • Free Cheap Mexican Beer and Virgin Margaritas!!
  • Giveaways and Prizes!!
  • Discounts on everything Dark Horse in the Shop!
  • Meet and Greet stars of our local 3XWrestling!! (Their next event is May 7th)
  • Celebrate the defeat of the French!!  (It is Cinco de Mayo remember!)
  • Evil Turkeys and Terrible Bat Gods!!!

There will be a slew of extra sales and fun that I haven’t thought up yet, but I’m sure I will by then.

Free Comic Book Day…

This Saturday is FCBD.  We will have plenty of great comics to giveaway, free of charge.  The concept is simple; stop in, get a free comic.

Some of the offerings this year include the first part of War of the Supermen from DC (more on this below), a new original Thor/Iron Man team up book from Marvel with art by John Romita Jr, a great Kids sampler from DC as well as a Iron Man/Nova Marvel Adventures book from, er, Marvel, the start of a new GI Joe book –restarting the old Greatest American Hero line, New Solar and Magnus flip book from Dark Horse and a bunch from the usually suspects like Archie, Bongo, Boom and Archadia Press.

A note on some of these books – if you get the book pulled (i.e. Superman) you will have one waiting for you in your hold.  Also, note supplies are limited.

  • Special Deal on the War of Supermen Book!  If you pick this up read it/enjoy/tolerate it and bring it back in when you get War of the Supermen #1, we’ll stamp it and give you 50 cents off!

As in years past I’m not doing up the big giant event status of FCBD.  I have some major issues with it, the publishers who exploit it, the cost of the books to us the stores (who have no input on any of this) and just feel it should be done differently.

It SHOULD be a day to get books into the hands of KIDS.  We are working with two libraries this year.  I hope this will be the beginning of a great relationship that I hope to grow into a better one this fall.

I have strong feelings about the future of comics and how they should be promoted, marketed and distributed in general (NO KIDDING, you say) let alone to kids.

Nonetheless, we plan on having a nice, calm day.  Come join us, have a cup of coffee and bring your, or someone else’s, kids to enjoy the day with.

Then, come back on May 5th for a real party!

The end of Comic Movie Craziness?…

I hate talking about comic book movies.  Screw them, the original comics are ALWAYS better!  However, I get it.  People like to see their sh!t on the big screen and, I will give it this, the creator owned rights being sold to Hollywood can mean some big bucks for guys who have busted their humps making comics.  That part is cool, very cool.

However, is that balloon about to bust?  Did anyone see last weekend’s box office numbers?

Losers came in new at number five and Kick Ass, which did not perform up to expectations on its first weekend dropped off this one.  I think Kick Ass will have long term sustainability and exceptional video sales, but does anyone remember how terrible Watchmen did at IN the theater?  It was a financial nightmare, like a giant alien squid draped over your city… oh, wait.

At some point all fads and trends (especially in a place like Hollywood) tend to ebb and flow, but this could be the beginning of one of the ebbs in comics to film and there are A LOT in the pipeline.

No one doubts that Iron Man 2 will be super giant huge, but if Jonah Hex, Red and Scott Pilgrim fail, that could be bad for the little comic movies that wish they could.

Check out Bleedingcool.com for Rich Johnston’s thoughts on this very same topic.

Random Acts of Violence…

No, not my everyday/general thoughts on corporate coffee, but a new original graphic novel from Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray out this week.  I’m kind of jazzed for this.  It tells the story of a comic creator’s creation come to life; the creation happens to be a homicidal killer!  66 pages of story and art and violence, random though it be, all for the low, low price of $6.99!!

Met Palmiotti and Amanda Connor at c2e2, two of the few creators I took the time to actually spend any time with and chat.  Jimmy is one of the true great guy in comics these days (and had some of the best freak’n chops going too.)  Everything he and Gray do is of the best quality.  You really should just see their names and buy it, that’s what I do.

On a related note, it is very sad to hear the Palmiotti/Gray/Connor team will be leaving Power Girl and Judd Winick will be coming on.  You could not drop in talent any further unless… wow, I’m left without an analogy.  I guess it is that bad.

The Week of April 19th

Published on April 19, 2010 in Comics, Cons, Matt's stupid ramblings, Reviews-comics and Shop Crap. 0 Comments

Back from C2E2, and bursting with new ideas and information.

justpilgrim

Anyone ever read Garth Ennis’s Just a Pilgrim?  Crazy post apocalyptic violent (shock) wackiness about a scripture reciting Mad Max like super soldier who leads a group of survivors through the Atlantic dessert.  (It’s Garth Ennis and that is the tame explanation of the series.)   Well, in it there are all these mutant creatures and one of them infects (actually impregnates) one of the wanderers and he begins to grow large – basically a head, little arms and legs and a big round torso.  THAT is how my head feels right now, just about ready to burst with info.

I went to Diamond’s retailer summit and learned tons of great new ideas for the shop.  We will slowly be implementing a lot of new stuff and doing a lot more events and promos with the help of a few companies and groups.

Basically, I don’t want to do things the same as I have.  Below are a few of the things I’m going to do with help from my staff, friends and partners… and hopefully you.

I was in a presentation about online marketing (which we do not do enough of and will be changing soon, like later this week) and the shop owner said he was close to going out of business, when he decided to just throw caution to the wind.  Started doing more promo events and crazy stunts and increased his business so that now, a few years removed, his shop is very successful.

I don’t know what the future holds, but while I’m doing this the least we can do is have some fun while we are doing it.  So, here is the first idea…

Hellboy in Mexico on Cinco de Mayo!!…

We will be celebrating the victory of the Mexican Army over the French on the 5th of May, Cinco de Mayo, when Hellboy in Mexico comes out from Dark Horse.  I will have exact details next week, but the long and short of it will include, like the comic book, drinking and wrestling.  The comic has Hellboy teaming with a group of luchadors and fighting some evil or something.  Doesn’t really matter, ‘cause it is drawn by one of the greatest artists in comics history, Richard Corben and it has Hellboy and Wresting in Mexico!!

Hellboyinmexico

We are going to have FREE Mexican Beer and wrestling on in the shop.  We are going to get you to sign up for the BPRD!  We are going to have virgin margaritas for the non-drinkers and the kids!  We hope to have some signed stuff, some free stuff and some cool stuff – all from Dark Horse –  to give away!  We will have fun, damn it!

This is a go, but I need to hear from Dark Horse officially before it is set in stone (hopefully a creapy Inca sacrificial stone!)  So mark it on the calendar:

Hellboy in Mexico on Cinco de Mayo!

6:00-9:00, May 5th

Free Beer, Virgin Margaritas and Wrestling!

Soon, more, on Facebook…

I want to use social networking better then we have we have in the past.  We will be doing this – once old guy Johnson gives up his fear of technology and embraces his new robot overloads.  We will be doing daily (or near daily) Twitter specials with special magic words to get you discounts.  We are going to have a much enhanced approach to Mybook or is it Facespace… obviously, this will take a bit of effort.

Your Source for Kids Books…

We are going to be THE source for Kids Comics in Des Moines.  I already think we have as good a selection as anyone in the metro, but we can do so much more.  You might say, “big whoop, I don’t read that kid crap.  Give me my Bendis book and shut up shop owner.”  …and you would be wrong for many a reason, but specifically because of two.  Kids are the future of our industry and Tiny Titans out sells Amazing Spider-man in our shop!!

TINY_TITANS_12

If we as an industry do not start marketing better to kids you can kiss this stupid comic thing goodbye.  I heard from several companies about “digital comics being so good for our industry.”  I still don’t believe that line of crap, but kids still like comics and will always like them, even if they have computer chips in them.  There is something inherently awesome about comics, especially to kids.  Have you ever seen a little kid get handed a comic and seen their eyes light up?  It is GREAT and one of the sustaining reasons for continuing with this mad idea of a coffee and comic shop.

I will get more comics into the hands of kids this year, it is my vow!

Also, I got a sketch from Art Baltazar this weekend and his line was longer than that of Gene Ha, Guy Davis and Adam Hugh’s combine!!  Art was very happy to hear that we are selling more Tiny Titans then Spider-man.  He was shocked and amazed and then drew me a picture of Coffee Guy Darkside.  It will be on the wall in the coming weeks.

A couple Big SHOUT Outs!!

So, the con and summit has me re-energized and that is a good thing I think.  (Probably less so for my wife and the lawn which needs to be mowed.  Sorry Carolyn and neighbor Jonah, but isn’t the purple clover look so nice?)

C2E2_Logo4a

I want to personally thank DC and Dark Horse, Avatar, Boom, Dynamite and IDW and a big thanks to Diamond Distribution.  All of them were really helpful in having a two way street for information exchange, Especially Dark Horse.

Scott Allie, editor extraordinaire of BPRD and a dozen other great Dark Horse books, personally sat and talked to me for over a half hour about marketing opportunities for Dark Horse books.  He is a great guy and a champion of the medium.

Other news…

So, in other news, there was some stuff announced.  I can’t even begin to get into all the announcements that were released by the companies this weekend.  There is literally an internet’s worth of announcements from nearly every company.  If comics sold as well as there were announcements for them, I would have a gold plated bar in my basement, but I do not.  So, I just wish the heads of the industry would work a little better to promote rather than announce.  I want my gold plated bar people!

Seriously, if you want all the info, go look at BleedingCool, Newsarama, or Comicbookresources dot com.  They have all the goods.  Then, when you are done, come back to me and order them all.  Gold… Plate… eh, screw it, I’ll just take my own personal bottle of 36 year Glenfiddich scotch.  Mmmm, 36 year scotch……. Sorry, where were we, oh right other news…

“Bone is bad,” says idiot…

You might have missed this one in the din of crazy over the weekend, but I didn’t because it is SO amazingly stupid.  A Minnesota mother (I thought all Minnesotans were good people, guess not) is trying to get Bone banned from her kid’s school!  Yes, Bone, I did not stutter.  Probably one of the best kids books ever published (and good enough for adults too) has some alcohol use and gambling and some “suggested sexual overtones.”  Lady, what are you freak’n talking about?  Have you watched network TV?  Have you watched the crap or seen what they wear on the Disney Channel?  Have you gone to a “kid’s” movie?  HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE?!!?

There is NOTHING wrong with Bone and we, adult comic readers, could be so lucky that all our books were as good as this filthy, filthy trash.  I was in such a good mood too.  Read more here:

www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/minnestora_parent_objects_to_bones_drinking_smoking_gambling_sexiness_revie/

speaking of idiots…

Also from the land of stupid, yep, I’m speaking of the Tea Party!  You knew it was only a matter of time someone caught this on documented film, but Captain America has joined the Tea Party!

Bleedingcool has the pictures:

www.bleedingcool.com/2010/04/16/captain-america-shows-up-at-tea-party/

No, fear not, it is not the REAL Captain America.  This is just a fat loser who doesn’t understand politics, the nation he lives in or, more than likely, the religion he practices.  Dude, first thing…. Oh, forget it.

In Review…

I read Brightest Day this morning and I did not hate it.  I actually, kind-of liked it.  Am I sick?  I’ve been feeling a little ill lately, but it might be all the caffeine and coffee I’ve been pouring down my head.

Brightday

You need to know that this is the direct off shoot from Blackest Night, sort-of the what happens after all the craziness that went on in that.  What can be garnered story-wise from this first issue is that Deadman (now very much alive) is going to be, we think, a lightning rod for these formerly dead, now living characters and the stories they have to tell.

The first issue looked at all of these characters Aquaman (and Mera), Digger Harkness (Captain Boomerang), Hawkman and Hawkgirl, Maxwell Lord, Martian Manhunter, Jade (daughter of the original Green Lantern), Firestorm, Osiris (kind-of Kid Black Adam), Hawk and Dove and Sinestro.

The book had a feel of an anthology and the whole time I read it I kept being reminded that there is no such thing as a bad character, just writers who can’t write well or can’t write a character well.   I am slowly reading Miracleman, which is being lent to me by one of my favorite customers.  This was a dumpy British Captain Marvel rip off from the 1950’s and Alan Moore (and later Neil Gaimen) took it over and wrote some amazing stories with this character.

The same goes for a character like Superman.  Regarded as one of the true greats, now being written by James Robinson, super writer of Starman!  This is going to be fantastic right?  WRONG!

That is how I’m approaching this book and think you should too.  There are enough good big characters to drive it, but enough little or obscure ones that a good writer could do some interesting things to, too.  I’m actually going to give it a chance and, though I’m not giving it a Highest Possible Recommendation, it is going to get read every other week, which is when it comes out.

By the way, buy issue one (the one that came out last week was issue zero) and get a free White Lantern ring.

FBCD-logo

Don’t forget, Free Comic Book Day is May 1st.    More on that next week!

The Week of April 12th

Published on April 12, 2010 in Comics, Cons and Matt's stupid ramblings. 0 Comments

A couple days before the big con in Chicago.  C2E2 is probably the biggest convention the Midwest has ever seen.  Nothing against the cons in KC or St. Paul, but this will probably be the third largest convention in the United States.  As the ads have said, “the con Chicago deserves.”

I’ve written before about how terrible the Wizard World Chicago convention had become in past years.  Not surprising, as the “magazine” has gotten pretty crappy of late (HA!! Of late) too.  Funny thing about that is those scumbags at Wizard went and bought the rights to some dozen cities cons, not quite the size of Chicago, but maybe that second level in size city.  Guess they think, “Hey, we ruined Chicago’s once great con, let’s go screw these poor people over too!”  Nonetheless, all of those cities are worse off for having Wizard in charge of their conventions.

I’ll be headed over myself, not necessarily because of the con, but because of the Diamond retailer’s summit Thursday.  I will get to go to the con on Friday and have to say I’m a little jazzed.  There are some seriously awesome creators there that I’ve met only once, long ago or never had the chance to meet.

I was lucky enough to meet Amanda Connor and Jimmy Palmiotti a few years ago and I got a sketch from Amanda, but it was lost when the suck farming shop we went to closed and disappeared with everyone’s stuff.  That must be rectified.

The other two creators I’m so very jazzed for are Darwyn Cooke and Guy Davis.  Cooke is going to cost me a pretty penny (don’t tell my wife) for some art, so, we shall see.  Davis, I don’t care what it costs.  Hell, he wasn’t even on a list anywhere, except Dark Horse’s own… so, maybe he isn’t doing any sketching… or maybe it is cheaper?  Not likely.

Well, it isn’t going to be a perfect convention as the only real Chicago baseball team, the White Sox, are not in town.  (they will be north of the boarder beating the Blue Jays.)  AND I don’t suspect anyone will buy or give me a $100 plus ticket for the Blackhawks first playoff game.  Though that one I will try to find while I’m in town.

Speed Force not included…

We get more plastic jewelry in this week.  Flash Rings are in on Wednesday with the first issue of the new Barry Allen centered comic.

flashring

We will do like in month’s past, buy the issue and get the ring for free.  Individually, they will be $2.00, but if you are going to do that, just buy the comic… What?  You don’t want the comic?  Are you a collector of cheap plastic jewelry?

Seriously, I’m getting more interested in this new Flash book.  The Secret Files was pretty good, if you like that sort-of thing, like, well, the Flash.  For my money, he is a great character.  His is the book I have more consecutive issues of than anyone else in my personal collection, so, sure I like the Flash more than most and the writer knows the character.  So, this should be well thought out and well written if nothing else.

The Secret Files issue sure laid out A LOT of potentially very cool sounding future plotlines and though some aren’t totally sold on the artist Francis Manapol, I think it will be worth the price.

And to complete the collection of emotional rings?

Is White an emotion? Or was it life?  It that an emotion?  Or are all the emotions combined in one?  Sorry.

WhiteRing

The White Lantern Rings will be in on May 5th, Cinco De Mayo.  (Yeah, wear it out to drink your margaritas, I’m sure the cute girl at the end of the counter will look twice, but not because of your stunning “personality,” bub.)  We’ll also tie that ring to the Light Bright comic Brightest Day #1.  Number zero comes out this week.

Remember Light Brights?  Hmm, I’m sure they aren’t as cool as I remember.  HEY, I come not from a land down under, but from an age without technology.  We had to use what was called Imagination.  Look it up.

Oh, No, The Crossed!….

Speaking of issue zeroes, if you want to read the zero issue of Crossed, you can find it on Bleeding Cool.com.  Rich Johnston posted the whole comic today (his site is sponsored/owned by them) and it’ll be available for awhile.

Now, if you’ve wondered if it is worth it and my word isn’t good enough – I’m hurt – Johnston says it is the best “zombie” thing he has ever read, though he wants to point out it is more Romero’s “Crazies” than “Living Dead.”

If you have been holding out to read the whole thing, we finally get trade paperbacks in this week.  Good stuff, but I maintain, it is NOT for everyone.  Tread lightly those with delicate sensibilities.

It’s not really news…

Today it was announced that Marvel will be moving their Bookstore distribution away from Diamond and to a company called Hachette Book Group.  I was asked what this means and it means very little on the surface.  They, like DC did several years ago, are taking their big corporate bookstore business away from Diamond and to someone else.  They are doing this to try and get more stuff into giant corporate bookstores like Barnes and Borders (aren’t they the same thing?No, well, they look like it.)

This does not mean they are moving away the books local shops get from Diamond.  Now THAT would be BIG news and I don’t think that will happen for a good number of years… at least I think.

What this does mean is that Marvel sucks and is as greedy as DC is.  Yeah, I know, stop the presses.  I don’t blame them for wanting a big piece of that corporate bookstore shelf space.  For Marvel, it is all numbers and columns and accounting.  For you, the question is, who do you love?

Des Moines used to have a bunch of awesome little bookstores around town.  Now they are nearly all gone.  Why, because of large impersonal corporate bookstore whorehouses and the customers who support them.  I’m sorry if I’m about to offend you, but frankly, I don’t care.  If you shop at Best Buy for music, you need to stop.  If you buy from Barnes and Borders, you need to stop.  BUY FROM THOSE WHO OWN BUSINESSES IN YOUR COMMUNITY!!!

This goes for renting movies (GO TO BEST PLACE EVER!!) and hardware stores and coffee shops (us, or Ritual Café or Grounds for Celebration.)  This goes for bakeries and restaurants and bars.  This goes for pizzerias and dress shops and record shops and go to a local comic shop for your Damn Trades and Hard Covers!!  Hell, you don’t want to buy from us then don’t, but at least don’t buy from a Barnes and Borders.

But of course I say this, I want your money, you say.  Yeah, and that money stays here rather than going into the hands of people a hell of a lot more evil than I can ever hope to be.  See, I spend money with those who also own businesses here in Des Moines… the proper cycle of life.

So, please, when you read of big deals to make big comic companies even MORE money, remember that you can still keep this industry strong by keeping the direct market healthy.  (Que smokey the bear with the one single tear, or something like that.)  Please turn to page 122 in your hymnal for the singing of….

The Week of April 5th

Published on April 4, 2010 in Comics, Matt's stupid ramblings and Reviews-comics. 0 Comments

So, today is the most holy of all days of the year.  What, No, I’m not “off by a day.”  Today is The Opening Day of Baseball and it makes everything better… What?  You said I’m just off in general, not specifically off one day.  Oh, well, probably, but this “holiday” goes back a great many years for me.  Running home after school to get to the radio in hopes I could pull in the station I, every once in awhile got all the way from Chicago or falling asleep listening to whatever game I could find on the radio with my walkman hidden under my pillow.  Having “religious” ceremonies on the day while breaking the dog and drinking the beer.  Watching three or four games in a day and doing NO work.

Baseball to me is the right blend of Old School and New.  It has technology, history and, in essence, an old set of rules.  I actually think the mindset of a baseball fan fits well with that of a comic collector.  We like our paper, Baseball players use wood bats and basically play the same game as they did 100 years ago.  The over 150 years of Baseball history is what makes the sport so great, in my eyes.  Comics and the continuity we crave is pretty comparable.  Have you ever looked for that one issue you need, ever looked in a fifty cent bin with your crazy detailed list?  Baseball is so equally meticulous with stats you would think they were mentally ill.  We bag and board and tape and file and re-file and yell at wives for getting near our comics without washing their hands first… maybe, I’m the only one who is mentally ill.

And maybe I’m off base ready to be picked off, but I see you customers and how many I have met who are baseball fans.  Some of you I consider some of my best friends.  So, Baseball reminds me of the reason I love my shop and that is you the customer.  See… I was going somewhere with that.

Lots of Recent Comics Arriving…

We have received a large amount of recent (over the last couple years) comics in the shop.  A good friend of and customer with the shop is clearing out some stuff and is giving/selling them to us.  I want you to be able to benefit from this if need be.

If there is something you are missing, a single issue, a couple comics from the last five years, let me know, you never know, I might have it now.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: America 1988…

Would you buy a book staring Emmet Brown, Jack Burton, ex-commando B.A. Baracus, tech wizard Angus MacGyver and the femme fatale known only as “Lisa,” the one from Flashdance you damn whipper snappers?  They would be battling resurrected evil Tony Montana and his Lost Boys.

Would it help if it was written by ALAN MOORE!!?!!

Sorry, that was a fantastic April Fool’s joke last week from www.comicalliance.com.  Click on the link to see the awesome fake cover of the book.  It is really too bad this isn’t real.  I think this would be great, though, Alan Moore writing Jack Burton… maybe this wouldn’t be a good idea.  Comic Alliance also has “articles” on what follows Brightest Day; Gladys Knight.  Also an article on novelists and comic creators petitioning Brad Meltzer to give up writing.

I like all three ideas.

Blackest Night…

So, Blackest Night is FINALLY over.  It is easy to say it kicked Marvel’s ass and after reading some comments from Joe Quesada, Marvel is practically admitting this (as Siege is selling like crap, but I’ll get to that.)

I want to preface the statements I’m about to make are my own and not Curt or Kyle’s.  I didn’t really like it.  Whoa, Whoa… calm down, I’ll explain and you will probably agree with me to some extent.

Remembering back to what I liked about The Sinestro Crop War storyline in Green Lantern, I am reminded how well it flowed from book to book and how that story was easy to understand because of its flow.  This didn’t happen in Blackest Night.  The entire story I felt I was missing something.  What was the motivation of the Nekron character?  He wasn’t flushed out at all.  Is there any back story, or are we supposed to know that?  Who are these Purple people, are they important and why is everyone getting along so well with such, supposedly diametrically opposed emotions controlling their actions, or at least guiding them?

Those are just a few of things I must have missed… but then why was Green Lantern Corps the best read of the whole thing?  The story was some-what self contained and dealt with these one guys who were bad (all in Black) fighting these other guys who were in Green… OH, and when one of them dies valiantly it is a HUGE deal causing things to happen including red and green lanterns NOT getting along.  Yes, things are all fine now in the end, but at the time, I wasn’t so sure.

The GL Corps issues are what made me not like Green Lantern and core title.  The story in these wandered around, but never really went anywhere.  The Corps had a definite purpose and direction, even if in the end it was to just eventually make for a huge splash page in the final issue… and not really matter.

I sound like I hated it, but I did not.  I felt it was not as good as any of the lead up to it or any one issue Johns has done on Green Lantern.  However, this whole thing may have been a long dark tunnel to get to an eventual great story on the other side.

I think Brightest Day will be very good.  Johns will be dealing with what we didn’t get in Blackest Night, Character Development!  The length of Blackest Night felt like five years (or is that just how many comics worth were involved in it) and it feels like the main characters never dealt with what was going on, except all those Blackest Night specials.  However, Hal Jordan or the rest of the Rainbow Warriors were fleshed out once during it.

So, what was accomplished by this crossover?  A whole lot of good characters are back alive, but probably not well.  This is a good thing and this is what Brightest day is going to be about.  I look forward to reading about what I missed in the crossover.

Now, thing is, Blackest Night was a huge success, so, you are more than welcome to tell me I’m full of it.  Obviously you liked it A LOT more than Seige.  We have sold on our worst issue of Blackest Night, double on our best issue of Seige.  Quesada saying that there are different economic situations and that the total sales are more spread out over the entire company (more better books is better than one big crossover now) and that they will now trend away from big events is disingenuous.  They got beat and can’t deal with this.  Finally, DC won, they won big and let us hope they capitalize on it.