Monthly Archive for June, 2011

Week of June 27th

Published on June 27, 2011 in Comics. 0 Comments

Early note on the Fourth of July…

We will be open 8 to Noon or 2:00pm, depending on business.  If we have people in the shop or have been doing steady business, we will stay open until 2:00.

Comics will not be affected and in on Wednesday July 6th; on the self by 11:00.

 

Superman, Don’t touch that Kitten it’s EVIL!!…

DC continues to be the news, however, this week, it isn’t for reasons they want to be.

If you get regular old Superman you found yourself looking at a cover and a story you weren’t expecting.  I know I wasn’t when I pulled the book out of the shipping box on Tuesday morning.  In it was a comic written by Curt Busiek nearly five years ago about Krypto the super-dog dealing with the death of Superboy.  A story which was supposed to run post Infinite Crisis.

It was pulled for one reason or another and can’t even remember now, if a reason was ever actually given.  It has been mentioned several times since and was once thought to be just the first in a series.

But what did it replace?  Well, there should have been one of the last issues of the “Grounded” storyline, now written by Chris Roberson, something that has been, er, less then what was promised.

But, where did that original comic go?

Well, depending on who you believe, there are two stories circulating about what caused this “alteration” in publication.

Comics Alliance is running a story questioning if the move is “politically” motivated.  The original content that was to be in issue #712 included a new Muslim character with the original solicit saying, “Meet Los Angeles’s newest super hero in the latest chapter of “Grounded”: Sharif!  But Sharif discovers that in today’s current cultural climate, some people don’t want his help – they just want him gone.  Can Superman aid Sharif and quell a prejudiced public, or are there some problems too big even for the Man of Steel to solve?”

The Comics Alliance article continues with a quote from DC saying, “the previously solicited story did not work within the grounded storyline.”  Well, with some of the issues DC has had with stories dealing with –shock- a Muslim Batman in Paris and –gasp- Superman “renouncing” his citizenship, it doesn’t take a four year old to connect these dots and that concerns me.

Ah, but wait there is more… that other point of view I mentioned.  Bleeding Cool is reporting that sources at DC told them the story was removed because of an element in the story the company didn’t like; a set up sequence where Superman rescues a kitten in a tree. That it was not the image they wanted Superman portrayed as.  I’m not making this up.  Go check it out for yourself.

Sure, they didn’t/wouldn’t/won’t say, “hey, we don’t like the bad press Fox news was giving us on those other stories, so, we tried to quietly nix it,”  by blame kittens and running a story about a dog instead?  Are you #$%& me?  Oh, DC you don’t have to say it, we know that is what you did, but could you have at least told all the people who were working on the book?

See, the Comics Alliance story also quotes and angry George Perez over his variant cover, which was dedicated to a deceased friend, which was axed as well.  It turns out the cover was moved to issue 714, but at the time he was none too happy about not being informed about the changes.

(long exasperated sigh)

Let us remember that this is the same company that would not allow Superman to be seen on the cover with a bottle that might or might not have had beer in it.  DC pulped/destroyed all of those issues.

This is the same company that feels SO strongly about the character of Superman that he wasn’t even in one of his two books for nearly a year and had his arch-enemy take it over.  (Luthor was the main character in Action for most of last year.  A story that for the most part was pretty good.)

This is the same character that is SO important that they have made a mockery of him in the ‘Grounded’ storyline with lateness, shifting of writers, terrible writing, bad art… and one very, very lame Superman doing very un-super things.  This is your beloved character who, in rescuing a kitten from a tree, causes such horror and outrage with you?

(another long exasperated sigh)

So… I guess there are two ways to look at this.  1. You are now making editorial decisions about Superman based on what perceived reaction MIGHT come from racist right wing extremists and their propaganda spewing mouth pieces or 2. Kittens and Superman do not mix.  Oh, brother, I weep for the future of our industry and am practically suicidal about the future of Superman.

 

Sorry about the shortness of this week’s weekly.  Have a few things superseding the writing of the rest of this.  So, I give you Links On Parade…

DC in September…

Though I am critical of DC’s approach to issue #712 of Superman, I become less apprehensive about the September “re”-launch.  They have been having road shows in major cities to present it to retailers and one shop who was able to attend the one in Baltimore wrote up a fantastic piece that was posted on Bleeding Cool and one from New York that quotes DC as saying they are no longer going to “write for the trade.”  (Rea this second one and then think about what I wrote about above… two completely different mind sets are at work here.)

I also talked to my rep from DC today and he attended the one in New York.  He helped to put my mind at ease even further.  So, I guess I am passing that on to you… (read like the old man in chapter one of World War Z) “Everything going to be okay.”  (of course, then a world zombie apocalypse starts killing most of humanity…)

 

In the News…

The US Supreme Court strikes down a law restricting the sale of violent video games. This was being watched very heavily by people in comic book circles too.  Bleeding Cool has a great write up with links and quotes from the Comic Book Legal Defense.  Just think what could have been if this had been a ruling in the fifties during the creation of the comic code authority days… ah, now there is a great what if comic.

 

Sorry, no time for reviews this week, but the old Mark Waid Captain America runs I’ve been re-reading are fantastic.

 

The Week of June 20th

Published on June 20, 2011 in Comics, Events and Reviews-comics. 0 Comments

More of the news barrage from the big two comic companies this week.

I sort of feel numb to the whole thing now, like a beaten man accepting his fate.  Maybe that was the design or the plan.  Either way, the inevitable is setting in and we trudge along with the tide.

I’ve noticed two things starting to filter out now post barrage.  One is Marvel firing back and creators, not included in the remake, throwing in their less than positive two cents.

Marvel, in what really felt like a “we still matter” move, announced they would be re-starting Uncanny X-Men post X-Schism.  The news was so buried that it really was an afterthought.  Sad, really, because the book would have been the longest running monthly comic and would have been a great way for Marvel to push some sort of moral high ground.  Instead, it felt more like “we can restart titles too!!”  “Look over here, No, No, we are still important.”

But that was just the biscuits; the gravy is when you see what the Marvel Previews will look like next week.  All of the Marvel listings will have “Still Issue #435!” or “Still Issue #643!” or “Still issue #17!” on them.  No, really.  I thought it was a joke at first, but I don’t think they are running a joke on Every Page.

Now, I’ve been a Captain America fan for some time and several “volumes” worth of restarts, renumbering and re-organization have taught me to not care anymore.  For the old school Marvel fan, you just except that those in charge of the company are not collectors and do not understand collecting.  Though they may be fans of the medium, I think you would have to be, to some extent, to be in this form of printing/publishing, they are subservient to MUCH larger forces, like very large corporate board rooms.  A new number one and the ending of a 70 some year legacy means nothing to huge windfalls of cash.

I hate to trivialize the plight of rain forests, wet lands and the environment, but if those don’t mean anything to a giant corporation, do you really think a 70 year legacy of consecutive numbering on stupid comics does?

When DC was moved over from being a small side company within Warner Brothers to being included with other forms of entertainment production like video games and TV, I knew something would cause major changes.  The re-numbering or as I think it should be know, Marvelizing, of their numbers was inevitable.  DC does not get to sit in the basement with Paul Levitz quietly running the company with no one really noticing anymore.  They need to be seen, they need to be flashy, they need to be hip!  Kids love these comic things, right?

I’m sure someone, one day, from upper-upper management was walking the corridors, opened a door and found a comic company.  Realizing that once, long ago, someone they knew read comics and having seen Spider-man making headlines…. You see where I’m going.

DC fans need to move on from the re-numbering issue or I assure you the bitterness of the number changing will start to affect your love of the basic medium of comics.

As a side note, I was trying to figure out what will be the longest running American monthly comic book after September.  I think it will be Hellblazer coming in at over 280 issues.  Sad.  Spawn at over 210 and Savage Dragon at over 175?  Usagi Yojimbo will be in the top ten at over 135 and that is volume three.

So, the comic creators chiming in… I found a link on Bleeding Cool that had some great comments from Mark Miller, never one to let something big just go without a great quote, said pertaining, I believe, to DC again going back to the early or origin story and Marvel just telling the same damn story over and over “The culture atrophies if we just keep recycling the same thing.”  Comics compared to 10 year bed ridden vegetative state… pretty accurate.

 

In other news…

The marriage of Lois and Clark looks to be coming to an end.  Very little is known about this yet, but it was hinted at by one of the DC hydra heads this last week.  Urgh.  So… anyone read a good indy book lately?

 

A Quick Review…

Godzilla, Gangsters and Goliaths #1 by John Layman and Alberto Ponticelli

What a great read!

Normally, I wouldn’t start a review with a comment on the cover, and being one who was never a buy a book based on its cover when I was just a regular Joe collector, but man the Geoff Darrow cover of Monster Island is freak’n awesome.  His work is so amazing.  It is great to know we will get somewhat regular art from him every couple of months in Dark Horse Presents (ISSUE TWO OUT THIS WEEK!!), but I digress.

If you are familiar with your typical Godzilla movie, the films are not necessarily about the monsters.  Yes, they are the “driving force” in the films, but the human characters drive the story – for the most part.  That is what John Layman (writer of Chew) is doing in this book.  He introduces us to this Japanese police officer, ruins his career, dishonors him and washes him up on an island in the first few pages and without one bit of giant monsters doing any smashing.  It would be a great story even if the island hadn’t been Monster Island, but because it is… well, of course you are going to run into Godzilla – it is his book.

Layman also incorporates a LOT of Godzilla continuity into the story, but doesn’t make it important enough to need explaining OR make you care if it is even explained.  This is something he has been doing on his regular book for months now.  (If you do not read Chew, I do not understand why you bother reading comic books at all.)

If you get the Powell/Hester Godzilla book, Kingdom of Monsters, you will probably like this one too.  Very different in storytelling and art, Kingdom – in my opinion – has better art and Gangsters has better story, but this is still a very good, fun and enjoyable read on its own.

I love both Godzilla books being published by IDW.  Who would have thought I would be saying that four months ago?

 

 

3XWrestling this Friday…

3X is this Friday, June 24th!!

There are some fantastic matches on this card.  Including Mad Dog Mark McDowell getting his shot at Brian Ash’s 3XW Championship, former friends Jimmy Rockwell squaring off against Zach Thompson for the Pure Wrestling Championship and a first in wrestling history, a sideburn match!!  Yes, the mammoth chops of “smother” Ryan Slade are going up against the “sexier” ones of AJ Smooth.

Tickets can be picked up at the Cup and are only $12 in advance for adults.  I promise a good night of entertainment, I always have a blast.

Doors open at 7:00 and first bell is 7:30.

 

Two events, both over a month away…

X-Mas in July

Wednesday, July 27th, starting at 5:00

This is our annual needs drive for Animal Lifeline, the no kill, special needs, not for profit shelter here on the south side.  Last year we had huge success with this event and the shelter benefited in collecting hundreds of needed supplies.  This year, Des Moines Kubb will be out to play and teach as well.

I will have more in the coming weeks.

Dude-a-Rama

Saturday, July 30th, starting at 7:00

Yes, it is exactly what it sounds like, a celebration of one of the best movies ever made, the Big Lebowski.  In some of the MUCH larger cities there are Lebowski festivals, this is Des Moines’s.

The event will be at AMF lanes on NE 14th street.  There are several levels of entry, which, of course, includes bowling.  Here is a link for more details and info: www.dude-a-rama.com.

The Cup would like to get several teams entered into the bowling tournament, so, if you have interest, please get entered you, your team of let me know and we can get teams assembled.

I have the utmost respect for these guys to pull this off, now for the third year.  I don’t know if it means we as a city have reached a certain level of cool-ness or if we get this great event in despite of our lack of cool-ness… either way, I am just happy they are doing it.

The Week of June 13th

Published on June 13, 2011 in Comics and Reviews-comics. 0 Comments

Man-o-man, has DC turned around the lack of interest by the comic “news” services or what?  Everyone is talking about it and ONLY it.

If you were on the moon, haven’t seen ANYTHING about comics on the internet, not been in a shop… I’ll give you a slight recap.

DC has announced they are doing some kind of a re-launch of their entire superhero line.  No one is 100% sure what this exactly means and it has been misinterpreted (rightly so) as a re-boot of the entire DC Universe.  Over the last week, creators, covers and partial solicits of books that will be part of this started to leak out (or were released) and we now see all 52, new, number one titles.  They range in crazy new takes on characters to hardly different at all.

Everything that has come out and been released I’m sure raises all the more questions than you even had last week.

I wish I could answer them for you.  I wish I had more information for you.  I just don’t have it.  I can, however, give you a link to, or a copy of, the DC September solicit for their superhero comics.  Here is a link to Bleedingcool.com with all 52.  If you get this in your inbox, attached is a copy.

Now, I can say this.  We are over two and a half months out from even the first of these books seeing the stands.  So, I think a deep breath and a full step away from the ledge is good.

Now that we’ve done that… let’s see if we can work on a few theories as to what this might be and why?

If you look over the solicits, and read just a few minor things that have been written about DC’s currently biggest books, one thing jumps out – these are going to be stories of the “early days” of some of these characters.  Listening to Grant Morrison from some show in Los Angeles, he says he is going to show what made this great character who he is today.  Batman Inc. is being put on pause, I speculate because we may learn some kind of early story in the other bat-books.  This is all nearly confirmed from what was said about the Justice League.  The first arc IS a story from “the early days.”  Yadda, yadda, yadda… If this is the case, let us hope that some of these will be “mini-series” and we’ll get back to the original numbering/current stories eventually.

Also, what hasn’t been talked about much is who is in the role of DC’s Editor in Chief.  It is Bob Harris.  This guy was in charge at Marvel during (drum roll) Heroes Reborn.  (was that a collective gagging?)  This may also be some kind of larger scale version of this (and if you look at the creators, it certainly looks like some of the same people; Lee, Liefeld, Lobdell.)  The reason I even mention this is because SOME of the books seem to not be early stories, but alternate earth stories.

So, what does Flashpoint do in the next three issues that it hasn’t done in the last two?  We aren’t going to know until it comes out… and we are not going to know what the rest of these new books are until after those Flashpoint issues come out.

So… wait and chill out.  Maybe this is all a big lot of hub bub about nothing.  Yeah… probably not, but we can hope.

 

Couple notable comics from last week.

If all this talk about Flashing Points concerning reboots, restarts and rehashing over old stories – that have all been written before – has you losing your mind with boredom, let me mention three things that came out last week that is all very far away from all of it.

Spongbob Square Pants #3

This was the best book I read last week.  No really, it is some funny, really well done stuff.  There are three different stories – including one were Sponge Bob is reading a Mermaid Man story done in an old school four color print style.  If you are looking for something your kids can read AND you can enjoy with them, this is THE book you are looking for.  Just watch, next year when Eisner Awards are handed out, this will be on the list.

 

 

American Vampire, Survival of the Fittest #1

Most of the time in comics, when a book is really good in the sales column it gets some kind of second book, mini-series or crappy off shoot.  This is so common place now a-days you just expect it.  Nearly 99% of the time, that off shoot, mini-series or second book is pure crap.  American Vampire’s new mini-series is that 1%.

Written by Scott Snyder and drawn by Sean Phillips, it is at the least, as good as the regular series.

If you have been reading the regular series, you know it’s a new take on vampires done through arcs set at different points in time, progressing through US history.  Already, the story has created some great side characters that are not getting enough panel time in the regular book.  This mini, set during America’s greatest period, just before World War 2, is about one side character and her work hunting vampires, while being a half breed herself.

Scott Snyder is showing, in his work on Detective and American Vampire, that he is one of the best, if not THE best writer in comics today.  He does development of character better than anyone in the DC stable of writers.  Action is important to all stories in comics; you can’t sit around a coffee table and create action or tension in a visual medium like comic books.  Snyder develops characters WHILE supplying riveting action.  He is so great at creating mood and atmosphere, his artists just add to it.

I let a friend borrow my hard covers last week, as he was interested in what his storytelling was like.  (He is very excited about the Snyder/Cappulo upcoming Batman arc.)  I told him to be careful.  I guaranteed he would like it and said he would probably want to read it monthly.  In less than 24 hours, I got an e-mail, “Damn you Matt.”  I just smiled and added it to his pull list.

Ronnie and I have been telling you since it started, the regular series is one of the best books on the racks.  The mini, at least issue one, is as good as or even better than the regular.

 

Baltimore: Plague Ships HC

This is prefect comic books.  At the end of the year (2010) I said this was one of the five best books published last year.  I made a point to say it was the best horror book published.  Well, now the hardcover is available.

I trudged through the regular books that came out with few real great reads, and then moved right into re-reading this hardcover.

The book is a story of a World War One soldier and his personal war against the king of the vampires.  The atmosphere and creepy mood is unsurpassed in any book published right now.  Baltimore is written by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden, drawn by Ben Stenbeck.  You can not find much better on the racks.  Can not wait for the new series, due in the next month or so.

 

The Week of June 6th

Published on June 6, 2011 in Comics and Tia's Reviews. 0 Comments

So, anything happen last week?

Yeah.  Pretty amazing, huh?  I was shocked too.  We’ve come close a couple times, but I think they might finally do it.  All these year’s we’ve talked about sweet it would be… what it would be like and now… … … We aren’t thinking about the same thing, are we??

I’m thinking about the Vancouver Canucks being up two games to nothing over the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup final.  That is has been 40 years since the franchise…  What did you think I was thinking about?

OH, DC being a complete knobs and scaring the living be-jebus out of everyone?  Right!!  I knew that.  OH, you are still scared, well, allow me to bring you slightly up to speed, provide a slew of links and calm some fears.

 

The End of The DCU, Like You Knew…

Last Tuesday DC Comics sent out an e-mail to their “comic retail partners” from Senior Vice President of Sales Bob Wayne.  In this e-mail they announced they would be embarking on a historic publishing initiative in a few months and would be” re-launching the entire DC Universe” post Flashpoint with 52 new number one issues, ALL in September!

The letter continues saying:

“In addition, the new #1s will introduce readers to a more modern, diverse DC Universe, with some character variations in appearance, origin and age. All stories will be grounded in each character’s legend – but will relate to real world situations, interactions, tragedy and triumph.

This epic event will kick off on Wednesday, August 31st with the debut of a brand new JUSTICE LEAGUE #1, which pairs Geoff Johns and Jim Lee, together for the first time. (Yes, this is the same week as FLASHPOINT #5.)

We think our current fans will be excited by this evolution, and that it will make jumping into the story extremely accessible to first-time readers – giving them a chance to discover DC’s characters and stories.”

 

Yeah, I’ll admit it, scared the holy living crap out of me too.  There is additional stuff in the letter, but for the most part it is retailer mumb-jumbo, self congratulatory crap and the typical “aren’t we so great” comic BS… oh and the point about going digital day and date, meaning you can just download your comics from DC rather than buying them from your friendly neighborhood comic retailer… Uh,Yeah,  I was spitting nails.

 

The Internet Breaks in Half…

I wasn’t alone in my shock and dismay.  It is my understanding the popular site Bleeding Cool (pretty much the only site I rely on for rumor, news and comic stuff) had the highest traffic ever and actually shut it down for a very brief period.

Of course, comic fans being the level headed batch we are we sat back and waited for details we were sure to get any day… … … NO, of course we didn’t sit idly by and wait for details, we freaked the *%$# out!!  Rumor started swirling almost instantaneously.  It was a complete reboot and we had all been betrayed by those monsters, and we were sure of it!  It was a Heroes Reborn/without the Heroes Return, It was Zero Hour/but without Green Arrow shooting Hal Jordan in the heart to save everything, It was the reversal of the first Crisis, It was a restart, It was a REBOOT, it was… … … Well, I read the damn letter four times and… I still can’t tell you what it was they were announcing.  (Well, actually I can, now that I’ve read the second letter, but we’ll get to that in a bit.)

It is both exactly what you should do and shouldn’t do to announce a major event.  It got the buzz they wanted, obviously, everyone was talking about it (including the USA Today.)  However, scaring the living hell out of long time fans is not such a good idea in my opinion.  But then, how does the news relate any story now a days… scare the living day lights out of you, that is how.

What DC failed to do was give enough details to make a calm easy transition into whatever it is they are going to be doing.  They sounded like they were going to throw the baby out with the bathwater and they can not think – in any way – it wouldn’t have been taken that way.  However, the more we are finding out, what DC has planned is very much what Marvel has done several times, by re-launching some titles at number one to garner a hefty jump in sales… just, well, DC is doing it ALL at once, ALL in September.  What was that about a baby and something?

 

The Second Letter…

So, I mentioned a second letter.  I’m going to get to that and then I’m going to tell you what I think all this means.

In this second e-mail, Bob Wayne goes into a lot of specifics as to how retailers are going to have a lot of backing from DC on this proposed publishing initiative including types of incentives, returns and discounts – I liked this very much.  I’ve always trusted DC to have my back, so, when I felt like they blindsided me and were going to radically alter things… well, this is helping.

It also alleviated a bunch of fears on digital day and date.  Pricing is not going to compete with us; the brick and mortar shop (at least for now) and could be a way for us to get YOU reader copies if you come and sit in the shop.  Might also be a way to get back issues that DC doesn’t have in stock.  I know, I know, I hate digital comics too and think they are filled with all of the evil of hell, but the major publishing idiots hate paper – HATE IT – and all and every one of them has a special phone that does everything including feed your pet.  None of them have a comic book collection and not a one of them reads unless it is on a stinking digital device – they also are actually reptiles and eat babies, or so I’ve heard.  So, show them they are wrong and send them a nasty e-mail, don’t yell at me.

This other e-mail also made slight mentions of content.  This is what the content section had to say:

We know that you want more details on the creative teams and their title-by-title assignments for the launch. . (And by the way, let me just reiterate this point:  this is the launch of the New DCU.  It is not a “reboot.”  I think you will soon discover why that is.)  We will send you an e-mail with more creative details next week, as a teaser in advance of the solicitation copy for Previews going live on the 13th.

 

Obviously, the most important think in this being… IT IS NOT A REBOOT!!!

Let me repeat that for the third time… It is NOT A REBOOT.  There are going to be changes, yes, but we know that would come at any point in superhero storytelling anyway.  Take a step back away from the ledge on the roof, come back inside.

What are we looking at then?  Well, I think we are jumping over Heroes Reborn and going straight to Heroes Return.  Something is going to happen in Flashpoint (personally not my bag, but I’ve heard a lot of positive reviews from customers) and something will give the NÜ DCU (like the umlauts?) a way to filter in.  Perhaps there will be a counter earth where President Man-Beast resides?  OR Perhaps not?

Am I happy about it, not really.  I totally disagree with the how this was done and feel we have seen this MANY times in the past, especially from DC.  I know, but this is the NÜ DCU.  Well, it was a new DC back after Crisis on Infinite Earths and a new DC after Zero Hour and a new DC after One Year Later. I don’t even want to start listing out all the “nothing will ever be the same” storylines, that would take forever, just for DC.

What concerns me more about this is some of the side stuff that is filtering out.  Like some of the stories about creative teams pitching against other teams… and not knowing they were in competition.  The new Look DCU and how many costumes are changing, not for an actual legit reason, but because the women of the NÜ DCU will not have exposed legs or skirts anymore.  Why?  This isn’t reality, or have some of us forgotten that?

I’m going to send you to Bleeding Cool now.  I have a great page saved to start with.  It has a slew of links to posts they have put up about nearly everything I have written about and much, much more.  Find it here: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/06/02/dc-relaunch-roundup-dont-call-it-a-comeback/.

If you go to the main BC page you can look for all the announced titles or head to the DC Source Blog spot for more.

 

But, What do you REALLY think?…

DO NOT STOP THE NUMBERING OF DETECTIVE AND ACTION COMICS!!!!!

Seriously, the point, the reason, the existence of DC is its consistent reliable quality, not always flashy, but you knew there would be an issue of Action Comics or Detective, Superman or Batman out every month… except when they got gimmicky and put a big toothed high falutten Hollywood type on the book (cough) Dick Donner (cough).

I think the execs of these superhero companies REALLY need to tell good stories and rely on that as the driving force for their industry.  They need to cut back, not increase the level they are publishing at and they need to stop gimmicking and tinkering with sh!t.

Dark Horse publishes about 4% of the industry, but more than doubles the quality of out-put BOTH of the big two do with 80% plus of the industry.

Why is it a bad idea to take the motto “Less is more” to heart?

Are there 52 characters that deserve a number one issue?  Obviously, not all of these are going to get a second… are they!!?!!  Are there 52 creative teams in DC, or is Geoff Johns going to write them all?  Even Bendis doesn’t do that, though it seems like it sometimes.

I could go on and on and on… instead, here are some links to similar thoughts…

Go Check this out (on Jimmy Palmiotti’s site Listen to Jimmy) for a funny and accurate rant, using The Fuehrer as a back drop.

Want more ranting… Ronnie found a GREAT write up by a couple of hooligans at http://chronicinsomniashow.blogspot.com/2011/06/hibbs-commandments.html?zx=44d75d305a6a2694

Read it and know how I really feel!!  Because they nail it to the wall like Martin Luthor.

 

Oh, but we really want to know how you feel…

Okay.  Go find a copy of I Need That Record! a documentary about the local Record Shop and how they are disappearing across America.  When you hear the word “record” substitute it for “Comic Book.”  It is a fantastic representation of what the local specialty business owner goes through AND it is great for information on the horrible industry of music.  There are a lot of similarities.

 

Comic Illuminati…

There is another Comic Illuminati up at the http://www.youtube.com/user/SouthSiderStudios.  When you watch it, you need to understand when we shot this it was some time in the past.  (Mike went and got married – finally – obviously, he has been a little busy.)  We know so much more… and really don’t know much at all.  It was funny to watch this, think about all the NÜ DCU stuff and what do we really know… go watch it and enjoy.

If you have ideas or questions for us to answer on the next Illuminati, send them in.  Mike and I will have more time this summer and a few good ideas to put in for new episodes to come.

 

Tia’s review of X-Men First Class…

If you’ve ever talked to me about my feelings towards the new X-Men movie “X-Men: First Class” (and many have), you’d know that I was the resident Negative Nancy…100% positive this would be the stupidest movie I’ve ever seen.
Previews, trailers and leaked clips let me know that the crew at Fox had, once again, thrown ALL comic continuity out the window in favor of a silly, made-up prequel about how Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr met, and how the X-Men were formed. I joyfully pointed out every single continuity, character and team error that I could find in the trailers. So, needless to say, I went to see this movie with the attitude that it might be a silly fun Sci-Fi movie where they showed mutant powers, but CERTAINLY no X-Men movie!

And….I will HAPPILY eat my words now after seeing it this weekend.
As any fan would, I spent the first bit of the movie grumbling about continuity and what was ‘wrong’…but that really didn’t last long, as I become fully engrossed in the film. The movie plays out more like a 1960′s spy movie that just happens to have superheroes in it, rather than a typical  ’superhero movie’ like Spiderman. While the story revolves around superpowered characters, there’s an absolutely incredible depth to the story that allows viewers appreciate the characters are actually just PART of the story. They’re simply the main players in a larger plot.
‘First Class’ benefitted immensely from casting proper actors, based on their talent rather than their physical similarities to the characters. James McAvoy acted the HELL out of Charles Xavier, and I dare say I actually preferred him to Patrick Stewart.  He managed to capture Xavier’s passion and ‘teacher/mentor’ role that was so present in the early comics (but has waned of late in the comics). I was heartily impressed, as well by the casting of the ‘younger’ mutants. They provided charming quirks to each character that I completely didn’t expect. I particularly enjoyed young Sean Cassidy (Banshee). While his Irish heritage played no part in the film, the actor was adorable and understated.
Another thing First Class got ‘right’, in my opinion was its portrayal of the mutant’s powers. I thought they nailed Banshee’s perfectly, and exactly how I envisioned it. “Cat Beast” was surprisingly spot-on (if you based it off of John Cassady’s artwork on Astonishing X-Men). I appreciated the addition of Angel’s acid spit…something not shown in trailers, and one of my main arguments as to why this movie would be awful.
I was surprised again, at the generally accurate portrayal of Sebastian Shaw and Emma Frost’s powers. They were very, very good villains in this story, and did their jobs very effectively.
Obviously, a few things bugged me – Xavier’s CONSTANT head-touching when he needed to use his powers, and Havok’s strange ‘energy frisbees’…but they really took a back seat to my overall enjoyment.

Listen – I don’t care if you’re just apprehensive, or 100% POSITIVE you’ll hate it…if a die-hard X-fan like me can throw all 616 continuity out the door and enjoy a film, so can you.