Archive for the 'Comics' Category

The Week of May 6th

Published on May 6, 2013 in Best Bets, Comics and Preview. 0 Comments

Free Comic Book Day

Thank you all who came out on either Friday night or Saturday for Free Comic Book Day this last weekend.  I hope everyone enjoyed the books they got and anything they picked up in our sales.

Our overall sales were pretty good and the conversation I had at the D&D Friday was great…

 

Drink and Draw is Thursday

Speaking of Drink and Draw, our regular event is this Thursday the 9th at 8:00.

Our “ingredient” this month – what we are drawing while drinking – is whom else would you like to see in the Iron Man armor.

Remember, Drink and Draw is not just for artists.  You can just be a comic enthusiast and looking for some good comic book conversation.

 

DC in need of a shake-up?

So, can we just call it good -or in this case bad- and have Wally West wake up having had a REALLY bad nightmare and say good bye to DC’s grand new 52 experiment?  I say this whole heartedly as a retailer and not as a former fan of these great characters.

The sales figures for April were released and DC’s slow slide is marked by their lowest point in some time.  The retail market share claimed by them was just under 26% (compared to Marvel’s near 38% and the somewhat surprising continued growth of Image, up to just over 9%.  Yes, that is over one third of DC.  ONE THIRD!!)

Why is this so terrible for DC?  Well, after month two of the New 52, DC was at an obviously unsustainable 52% and though this grand scheme, er, idea perpetrated on the comic public was supposed to bring in new readers – and has flatly not done this.  If you are an old school reader of DC though, it is being made harder and harder to read ANY of it.  It was supposed to change and modernize these “boring old has-beens”… and a year and a half after being forced on us, it is easy to say the management and editorial crew has failed us.

So, how do we fix this?  Well, not much ‘we’ can do.  Demanding the firing of the editor in chief is probably the best start.  Bob Harras, the man responsible for Heroes Reborn is that Editor in Chief and I think a countdown is probably underway on his removal.  You probably – unfortunately – won’t see Dan Diddio dumped.  He has entrenched – or is a better word wormed – his way into the core of the company and it would take some firings in other places first, then when that doesn’t help, you could see his removal.

Either way, you aren’t going to see much change from them for most of the summer.  They will get a bump from the Superman unfettered or uninhibited or whatever the chained book is called.  But when their competition has a single writer with more books in the top ten’s sales figures than your entire company does, uh, yeah, DC, you might have a problem.

 

Stupid Superman stuff found on the internet

I’m on a role on my hate-on for DC, so, let’s move on to their parent company, Warner Bros.

Do you need another reason other than the trailer you hopefully haven’t seen to dislike Man of Steel?  Well, I have a site for you!!  Io9 had a major spoiler from the upcoming movie and if you are a fan of the character, you may want to see it before you make up your mind to see it.  Click here IF you want to see.

Yes, I don’t/won’t see this abomination in the eyes of Jor-el, but it could have been worse.  There is even more pics and info filtering out about Superman Lives!  …the one with Nic Cage.  Here is a link to another Io9 story with concept art and story ideas for the villains of that movie.  Marvel at the horror.  If you are not totally retching, then here is more including pics of Cage in the suit.  Thor almighty, that is so awfully bad.  Almost as bad as the new costume.  Does anyone in whorey-wood even read comic books?

And finally, why am I so mad at DC, what is it really?  It comes down to underpants,  red underpants.  Here is a history of the war on those red underpants.

 

Ronnie’s best bet this week:

The first release from Black Mask Studios, this is being released alongside Ghostface’s new album of the same name, and which is the soundtrack to the story.  Having listened to the record a few times, and loving it (listening to it as I type this), I am pretty excited for this.  If the record is any indication, this will be a highly developed story of betrayal and beyond the grave revenge, all set in Italy’s organized crime world.

The early reviews of the first issue have been really strong, and featuring the art of Breno Tamura, Gus Storms, Kyle Strahm, Joe Infurnari, along with future issues by Francesco Francavilla, Jim Mahfood, Ron Wimberly, Paolo Rivera and Riley Rossmo, all some of my favorite artists, all doing new things in the comic world.

And since Wu-Tang is headlining 80/35 this year, maybe you’ll get a chance to get this signed.

Check out the trailer here to get a taste:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q6NrwwNoMM

 

May Previews Review

Once again, the new Previews catalog is in.  These things just keep on coming, seemingly earlier and earlier.  Orders for this one are due Monday, May 20th.

Here are some of the things I found interesting that will be released in July.

 

Smoke/Ashes – pg 52

This will collect another one of those Kickstarter success stories, but this success story had a huge amount of drama surrounding it.  I won’t get into that here, all that gossip is readily available online.

What I do want to point out is that this Eisner Nominated series by Alex de Campi will feature the art of such varied names as Igor Kordey, Carla Speed McNeil, Bill Sienkiewicz, Richard Pace, Collen Doran and Dan McDaid, as well as covers from Len O’Grady and Tomer Hanuka.

A political thriller series, it follows the adventures of a journalist who works to expose corruption in the English ruling class, and getting way over her head when she and her assassin friend become targets of a powerful cabal trying to control the nation’s oil.

This will be released in hardcover for $60 and softcover for $30, but at 424 pages, that is a really good deal, especially considering the caliber of talent involved.

 

Sin Titulo – pg 57

This will collect the web comic by Cameron Stewart, whose art has been all over many of my favorite comics over last number of years, working on The Other side, Batman and Robin, and Catwoman.

Said to be a mystery thriller, it tells the story of a young man who finds a mysterious photograph left behind by his grandfather.  He sets off to figure out what it is, which sets off a big chain of events.

This will be the first time I will have read Stewart’s writing, but if it’s half as good as his art, this will be great.

 

Star Wars #7/Trade Paperback Vol 1 – pg 68/69

Ryan Kelly (Saucer Country) is taking over the art for this series with issue #7.  He has done much work with Brian Wood before, my favorite being Local.  These two know how to work together really well, so I am looking forward to this.

If you haven’t jumped on board with this well-loved series yet, the first trade is getting released also. This will collect the first 6 issues, as well as the Free Comic Book Day issue that flew outta the shop last weekend so fast that even I didn’t get a chance to grab one.

But if you don’t want to wait for the trade, all the issues are available for order.  We are going to try and keep them in stock for as long as we can.

 

Collider #1 – pg 143

So maybe Vertigo comics ain’t dead yet? This will be another of their series debuting this summer.  What caught my eye about this one was the awesome cover by Nathan Fox (Fluorescent Black), one of the best artists out there right now.  He’s just doing the covers, but the interiors will be done by Robbi Rodriguez, who hasn’t been published much, but I have been following his awesome art for quite a while on the site Ashcan All-Stars, you should hunt down his recent Abe Sapien drawing.  I am really interested to see what this guy can do monthly.

This will be written by Simon Oliver, and is about a world where the laws of physics started to evolve and change. Slowly at first, but now seems to be speeding up dramatically.  Special Agent Hardy with the Federal Bureau of Physics is now trying to figure out what’s going on, before it’s too late.

 

The Death of Haggard West – pg 322

Ahh, Paul Pope, easily one of my favorite artists and writers in comics.  If you’ve never checked this guy out before, this $3 issue will be a great chance to get a taste.  This will be the first chapter to the way anticipated Battling Boy, a graphic novel Pope has been teasing for at least 3 years.

Battling Boy is what Pope is calling a new superhero for the 21st century, which is the son of a war god and tasked with protecting a ravaged earth from monsters.  The OGN is reportedly going to be two volumes of Pope’s crazy sci-fi pulp.  This preview issue is 32 pages and shows the death of Haggard West, the last of the vigilante heroes.

One of the most creative artists out there, Pope’s heavy ink lines are popping up as a major influence on many of the new artists we are seeing today, especially among a lot of the Image titles coming out today.

Man, we just got the One Trick Rip-Off earlier this year, now Battling Boy later this year.  Now if only we can get a collection of THB sometime….

 

That’s some of the cool stuff in the May Previews.  Again, if you haven’t had a chance get in and look at the catalog.

 

This week I am gonna pick up 12 Reasons to Die #1, Batman #20, Batman and Red Hood #20 and Harbinger #12. For my youngster’s, I am gonna grab Spongebob Comics #20 and Star Wars #5.

What are you gonna grab?

The Week of April 22nd

Published on April 22, 2013 in Best Bets and Comics. 0 Comments

Free Comic Book Day 2013

Free Comic  Book Day is May 4th and we will again be participating, though doing things a little different, with events on Friday night and Saturday.

We are going to incorporate Drink in Draw into our Friday when we close the shop at 8:00 and head over to Good Sons for a pint or two, some sketching, doodling and general comic conversing… did I mention drinking?  At 11:00, we will reopen the shop for a special pre-drink and draw sale and at 12:01 a.m. we’ll put out the FCBD books.

On Saturday, we’ll open up at 8:30 a.m. and run specials and sales all day, as well as have artists, face painting, kid’s activities and free comics and coffee.

 

Andy Brase Returns

On May 1st Andy is going to be at the shop to sign his second cover to Swamp Thing.  If you missed him this last month, this is your chance to catch him again.  I’ve seen the cover for issue 20 and it is even better than the gatefold he did on #19.

 

Drink and Draw May

We will again gather for drawing while we drink on May 9th.  Our crowds have been mixed nearly in half with artists and general comic lovers, but I think all have had a good time.  Hopefully we’ll be able to take over the patio come May.

 

Censor those Underpants!

A list of the most challenged and banned books was released recently and at the top of the list, Captain Underpants!  Yes, the children’s book.  The Office of Intellectual Freedom released the list which had 464 challenges to ban books.  Many of the books on it are frequently receiving challenges, but Captain Underpants hasn’t been seen since 2005.  The new book Captain Underpants and the Terrifying return of Tippy Tinkletrousers was listed as having offensive language and being unsuitable for a certain age group.  If you want to read more and see the full list of books check out the article from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

And if you would like to see a list of frequently challenged comic books check this out.  You will certainly get a laugh and a gasp of disgust as to the stupidity of some people.

 

The End of the only Superman we have left

Below is Ronnie’s best bets, but I wanted to point out one in particular.  This week marks the last issue of Superman Family Adventures.  I have railed at length on DC’s poor decision to end this book, so, instead I’m going to reintegrate why I’ve loved the series .

Superman is the first and will always be the best super hero ever created.  He is the embodiment of the meek and mild becoming super.  He is the outsider being raised by loving parents who exceeds at being the best he can be and defending both his standards of peace, justice and truth, but also showing that there is nearly always a way around killing and at least tries – if written correctly – to find a way other than violence.  There are a lot of people who have said they find the character boring or outdated and those fools do not understand what and why he exists in the first place.  (Do I have to say again that there is no such thing as a bad character, just poor writing?)  I could go on with my ever growing rant about why Superman is so perfect, but I turn instead to why Superman Family Adventures is.

Something that is forgotten in modern comics is that dark and modern is NOT what everyone is necessarily looking for.  Many who read superhero books are looking for escapism and not just the modern world prism-ed with superheroes.  Many of us are looking for a book that allows us a brief respite from our day to day stresses.  Some find it in Horror, some in sci-fi and yet others in four color brightly garbed spandex wearing muscle bound brutes.

Kids in particular love these big bold colorful stories and it is always my favorite part of owning the shop when a kid gets a big dumb superhero book and you see the excitement they have in wanting to read.  I think of myself as a big kid when I get a good Superman book.  So much love for an old friend.  On Wednesday, the last issue of Superman comes out.

I refuse to read the horrible character that DC calls Superman now.  He is so without any of the good and respectful aspects of the Superman of old.  If you enjoy it, great, but you can not get me to say a nice word about emo-boy.

I feel like all my old friends have been taken from me by DC, but the worst to lose was Superman.  For the last year though, I’ve had a kid’s book to give me a monthly helping of the Man of Steel.  I will love this last issue as though it is the last Superman comic will ever read and it might be.

If you haven’t read Superman Family Adventures, you have truly missed out.  However, a trade is coming next month and I can not recommend it highly enough.  If you have kids, do them – and yourself if you get to read it to them – a favor and put in a pre-order for it.  You will remember the greatness Superman once one… and can be again.

 

Ronnie’s Best Bets

The highly anticipated Jupiter’s Legacy from Mark Millar and Frank Quietly debuts this week.  The solicit makes it sound like a darker, more “grounded” version of Kingdom Come from some years back.  Originally solicited as Jupiter’s Children, this every-other-month series will be the story of the first superheroes aging, and how their mission and legacy will be carried on by their offspring, a generation of super powered spoiled brats that had been treated like celebrities.

While that sounds all fine and good, the main draw for me on this title will be the art from Quietly.  In my opinion (and many others), this guy is one of the best illustrators working, with a style that is completely unique.  I have read some stuff from the master of self-advertising Mark Millar that I have enjoyed, but that is usually his tongue in cheek series, this one is appearing to take itself pretty seriously, so we will have to see how this will handle itself.  I hope for something interesting, but I can guarantee it will at least look pretty.

 

The second issue of East of West is expected this week, and I am really excited for it.  The first issue was such a great debut, leaving me with that scratching my head and wanting more feeling that I love from a good serialized story.  The art was better than I anticipated with some great character designs, and the writing was classic Hickman taking it up quite a few notches.

In an over-simplified nutshell, this is the story of three of the four horsemen of the apocalypse searching for their brother in a future dystopian wild west.  Throw in some dead heads of state, racial tensions, my boy Red Cloud, conspiracies, prophecies and cool technology, and you got an awesome setup with very little reader hand holding.   As cool as that all sounds, issue #1 was better than the sum of its parts.

If you missed out on issue #1, we’ve got a bunch more coming in with the second issue.  You really should give this a try, it’s already on my best of the year list and we will have plenty of the second print.

 

This week I am gonna pick up Batman and Red Robin #19, Batman Incorporated #10, BPRD: Vampire #2, East of West #2, Jupiter’s Legacy #1, Manhattan Projects #11, The Massive #11, Mind MGMT #10, Rachel Rising #16, and Unwritten #48.

For my young’uns, I am gonna grab FF #6, New Avengers #5, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #6, My Little Pony: Micro Series #3, Superman Family Adventures #12 and Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #22.

Man, looks like it’s gonna be a great (but expensive) week for my me and my tribe.

The Week of March 18th

Published on March 18, 2013 in Comics. 0 Comments

Brian Wood

For all those wondering about the state of Dark Horse being able to publish the Star Wars titles after Marvel’s buyout of Lucas Films, Brian Wood just said on twitter:

“To ppl calling doom (with no proof) on Dark Horse holding of the Star Wars license, I just got a contract extension to write through ish 20”

I assume that means he signed with Dark Horse only, but other than that tweet, I have heard no other details. Either way, more Brian Wood written Star Wars till at least sometime in 2014 is good news to many of y’all, including my son, it is one of his favorites.

 

Speaking of Brian Wood, the first trade paperback of The Massive is out this week. This will be the only way to get issues 1 and 2 of one of the best titles currently being published.

 

Dark Horse… in the future

This spring has some really cool stuff coming out.  Of note are The Fabulous Killjoys from Gerard Way and Becky Cloonan and Six-Gun Gorilla from Simon Spurrier and Jeff Stokely.  Both look and sound great.   You will want to check both of those out in the next Previews coming in next week, and I’ll talk about them more in the future.

 

Black Mask Studios

It’s not too often that the debut of new comics publisher catches my eye, let alone gets me excited, but in this month’s Previews that new one is a publisher called Black Mask Studios.

What originally started as a Kickstarter project to just fund a one-off anthology called Occupy Comics, it has now evolved into a full blown publisher with two titles debuting in May, and two more in June.  Black Mask has some pretty big bragging rights, the most obvious being that it is being spearheaded by writer Steve Niles and, out of left field, Brett Gurewitz, as well as Matt Pizolo.  I’m sure you’re familiar with Niles, but Brett Gurewitz is an unknown in the comics world.  He is well known though in the Punk world for his influential band Bad Religion, an old favorite of mine.  But where this collaboration makes sense is his role as founder of the record label Epitaph.

Epitaph is possibly the most successful indie label in the US, putting out many records I’ve loved for decades.  They are also affiliated with Anti Records, which releases Tom Waits’ glorious mayhem, and Fat Possum Records, the label that damn near saved the blues, with releases from Junior Kimbrough, Robert Pete Williams, R.L. Burnside, Asie Payton, The Black Keys and Bob Log III.  All that being said, it’s Black Mask’s mission statement and the actual comics themselves that have got me paying close attention.  Their big bold stated goals according to Niles are:

“Brett, Matt, and I all came up in the DiY punk scene, and we’re bringing that kind of attitude to this… the constructive part about supporting voices who are talking about real things but in a bold and exciting way.  We’re not afraid to bring in activism and politics and counterculture.  What publisher today could be bringing out the next V For Vendetta?  Nobody.”

As well as “supporting bold creators and propelling their visions”, “support creators making outsider/transgressive/non-traditional comics”, and “committed to pushing the boundaries of comics”.

Well, that sounds awesome to me, and I am totally interested, but what about the comics?

In May we will see the release of Occupy Comics #1. An anthology comic that’s inspired by the recent Occupy movement, it is featuring work from Alan Moore, David Lloyd (V For Vendetta), Charlie Adlard (The Walking Dead), Art Spiegelman (Maus), Molly Crabapple (Shell Game), Matt Bors (Pulitzer-nominated political cartoonist), Mike Allred (Madman, FF), Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night), J.M. DeMatteis (Justice League, Spider-Man), Tyler Crook (Petrograd),Joshua Hale Fialkov (I, Vampire, Green Arrow), Joe Infurnari (Mush!), Ales Kot (Wild Children), Dean Haspiel (American Splendor), Douglas Rushkoff (media theorist), Joshua Dysart (Unknown Soldier, Swamp Thing, Harbinger), Matt Miner (Liberator), & Matt Pizzolo (Godkiller). Mike Allred is doing the cover.

At 36 pages for 3.50, with those caliber of creators getting together for that kind of motivation, there’s no way I can’t support this.

 

Also scheduled in May will be 12 Reasons to Die, a horror/crime story co-written by none other than Ghostface Killah of The Wu-Tang Clan, with a production credit to The RZA.

The solicitation copy says it will be “a brutal tale of gangsters, betrayal, and one vengeful soul hunting the 12 most powerful crimelords in the world.” Also, “12 Reasons To Die is a multi-platform, transmedia concept project with a storyline that spans from the comic book to the new Ghostface Killah album released simultaneously by RZA’s Soul Temple Records.”

The other creators involved will be writers Matthew Rosenberg & Patrick Kindlon, rotating artists starting with Riley Rossmo (Bedlam), Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash), Joe Infurnari (Mush!), Kyle Strahm (Haunt), Gus Storms & Breno Tamura, with covers by Paolo Rivera (Daredevil), Ramon Perez (Tale of Sand, Wolverine & The X-Men), Ronald Wimberly (Prince of Cats), Garry Brown (The Massive), and Christopher Mitten (30 Days of Night).

This just sounds awesome.

 

(Editor’s Note – Pre-orders help people.  If you have interest in titles like Occupy Comics or 12 Reasons to Die and plan on picking them up, I need to know.  Don’t whine and cry when they aren’t on the shelf if you did bother to pre-order them and by pre-order I mean ORDER, not let me know two days before they hit the shelf.  You did get your March Previews orders in, right?  They are due absolutely no later than next Monday!  That is all, please continue Ronnie.)

 

Back to those Upcoming April Previews from Black Mask

June brings us the first issues of two mini-series, to be announced in April’s Previews.

Ballistic is a Darrick Robertson drawn 5 issue mini bringing him back to the weird sci-fi that he perfected in Transmetropolitan many years back.  Written by Adam Egypt Mortimer, soon to be well known for directing Grant Morrison’s psychedelic western film Sinatoro, (it is being billed as a buddy adventure about a man trying to work his way up the criminal foodchain to escape his life as a air conditioner repair man.)  In this odd tale, along for the ride is his buddy Gun, a drug-addicted, genetically-modified, foul-mouthed firearm.  Yes, as in a sentient gun.  For reals.

Promises to be very violent, very nutty, pulpy science fiction.  I can’t think of anything else I would love to see Robertson, one of the nicest guys in this industry, work on.

 

And for one that I am really excited to see how it is executed, Liberator is a four issue mini that appears to be taking a close look at some of the last real life heroes left in our world, direct action animal liberationists.  If you don’t know much about the clandestine Animal Liberation Front (or The Earth Liberation Front and The Sea Shepherds), I highly suggest you look them up.  Amazing people doing amazing things.

The solicitation copy from Black Mask reads:

“A hard-edged vigilante series about two young heroes who avenge the torture of animals, created by writer and real-life dog rescuer Matt Miner (also in Occupy Comics) and artist Joel Gomez (Detective Comics).

Covers by Chris Burnham (Batman Incorporated), Tim Seeley(Hack/Slash), Yildiray Cinar (Earth 2), and Joe Prado (Aquaman, Justice League).”

“30% of Liberator profits will go to animal rescue initiatives.”

When I first heard of this publisher, especially with a name like Black Mask, this was exactly the kind of title I was hoping to see come out of it.

 

These are the kind of stories I want to read.  With the caliber of creators doing it, backed by a publisher with this kind of ethics and philosophy, I feel like this publisher was thinking of me since their inception.  Granted, I haven’t read a word of the work yet, it could be total drivel, but I am way on board to see what happens.  You should be too.  I can’t help but feel like these guys are having the same kinds of conversations in planning this project as Dark Horse was way back in their beginning in the mid 80’s.  The similarities between the two publishers are numerous, and that is a very good thing.  These kinds of publishers are exactly what this industry needs for this medium to stay relevant and evolve closer to what its real potential is.

 

To learn more and get in on the ground floor, take a look at blackmaskstudios.com.

 

That’s some of the stuff exciting me in the near future, this week I am looking forward to BPRD: Hell on Earth #105, Catwoman #18, Chew #32, Conan The Barbarian #14, Dark Horse Presents #22, Fables #127, Harbinger #10, Mind MGMT #9, Nightwing #18, Revival #8 and Saga #11. For the young’uns I’ll grab My Little Pony Micro Series #2 and Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #21.

What are you looking forward to?

 

The Week of March 11th

Published on March 11, 2013 in Comics. 0 Comments

Drink and Draw March

The next Drink and Draw will be March 14th, same bat-time (8:00pm) same bat-place (Goodsons on Beaver.)  This is what it sounds like; you drink and while doing it, draw.  However, the event isn’t just for artists.  Writers and general comic enthusiasts are welcome and even encouraged.  Heck, you don’t even have to talk comics (I would prefer not to.  We can talk politics or hockey or whatever.)

To add a bit to our March D&D, one of the regulars, Carter, has asked to have a drawing challenge.  I like this idea a lot and being days before one of the great holidays of the year, Saint Pat’s Day, we will do a drawing challenge, demented Leprechauns.

 

 

The Story that won’t go away

New developments in the Orson Scott Card debacle at DC Entertainment.  It was announced this week that the artist who was set to draw the story has withdrawn.  Chris Sprouse, fantastic artist of Tom Strong, said this week he preferred not be part of the controversy and withdrew from the project.

As a result, DCE announced that Orson Scott Cards story would be pulled from the first issue.  They did not say they were scrapping the story, but that it would be held until they could find an artist.  You can read this one of two ways, of course.  We may never see this happen and this is the easiest way to not publish it.  Let us hope that is the case.  For a little more info on this click here.

Now, there was a great tweet on this from Mark Waid.  He announced the news by saying “dear everyone.  You can now buy Adventures of Superman by Jeff Parker, Chris Samnee, Jeff Lemire and other, now homophobe free!”  You say it right, Mark.  We of course will now carry this book.

And for those who think I have spoken to much of this subject I want to quote my favorite baseball blog Oldtimefamilybaseball.com when he posted last week about Justin Verlander being interviewed about the prospect of playing with an openly gay teammate.  (By the way Verlander, said he wouldn’t mind and had no problem with it.  I’m paraphrasing but the team was a family and more important than a perceived problem with someone’s differences was the family’s goals, winning.)  The blog post said “if you’re tired of having this be an issue, I’m sorry, but it has to be one.  Until gay players feel comfortable being themselves with their teams and teammates, it is one that needs to be addressed and talked about until the culture of sports no longer makes anyone feel like they’re less than they are.  And you don’t get to that point by ignoring it.”  I could not have said it better.  Please substitute team and sports for whatever is needed, but this is an issue, it MUST be addressed and the people it concerns will NOT have their rights or persons diminished by people with small minds.  Our culture has changed and this will continue being an issue until it need not be… but if you notice the Supreme Court this week, then it will be awhile.  But I will stop with the politics by saying how much of a disgrace Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is and if you don’t know what I’m talking about, please put down the comics for a second and pay attention.

 

Jerry Ordway

I have been and always will be a big fan of Jerry Ordway.  He worked on some major storylines on Superman, Crisis on Infinite Earths and, my personal favorite of his, Power of Shazam.  So, it saddened me last week to read on his blog how he was feeling marginalized in this bold new era of comics.  I am warning you, it is not uplifting, but I think many need to read this and consider what certain choices have been made in this industry and to the detriment of many of those we owe so much too.

This is the link and I recommend dropping down after reading it and taking in Chuck Dixon’s comments.

It really is an indictment of the industry and its treatment of these great talents who still want to work and are now not wanted by these enormous, soulless corporations.

 

Something Cool from Valiant

I was skeptical when Valiant launched their books last year, but I have to say, they have really been a fantastic addition to the racks.  Telling good stories with great art, they are NOT your dad’s Valiant comics.

I will have more on them in the weeks to come as they are ready to make a big push for your superhero dollars (and you should seriously consider giving it to them.)  They have a line of dollar issues planned and we are going to offer a hard push on getting you to read them as well jump into the Harbinger Wars series that is coming in three weeks.

This week I just want to show you something sweet they are going to do to promote their books.  8-bit portable devise video games.  It so reminds me of the video games I played when the first run of Valiant was coming out.  Check them out here.

 

Hawkeye TP Volume 1

The first volume of Hawkeye finally reaches the racks this week.  This is one of the two best superhero books being published and now you do NOT have a reason not to be buying it.

Last year, Daredevil claimed most of the Eisner awards and this year it will be Hawkeye – mark my words.

It is the least superhero, superhero book I’ve read since Starman.  It rarely has Clint in his stupid new movie inspired costume.  It has the Hawkeye from the Young Avengers.  It has a dog, an apartment complex and a crime lord who over uses the word “bro” – not sure, might be Bryce Harper’s dad.  It also has some of the best writing and most fantasticly stylized art in comics right now.

Matt Fraction, who last was writing stories this good was working on Iron Fist.  If you remember the series – and I remember sales, so you probably don’t – he had a similar style and vibe on that book, but this is better.  Daniel Aja has put himself – if he wasn’t already there – in the upper echelon of the best artists in the industry with his work.  It is far and away better than everything being done on a superhero book right now.  (Chris Samnee on Daredevil is a close second, since Darwyn Cook’s Minutemen is now finished.)

There are few books that if you don’t buy, fine, I can live with that.  But when you buy anything being published by DC and 90% of what Marvel is shoveling and you DON”T buy Hawkeye, well, don’t talk to me about a recommendation, you obviously can’t understand the words coming out of my mouth.

 

Crossed #25, Crossed Day 2013

Well, we are back to Garth Ennis.  I am not a big fan of Crossed, except when Garth Ennis writes it and that is what you are getting this week, the creator returning.  It is also marking Crossed Day.  Much like Marvel’s silly parties, this is a day to celebrate the king of ultra-gruesome horror survival comics.  You are warned.

 

Last week

So, two very different books came out last week that I readily admit to having liked.

One was Age of Ultron.  I am both a sucker for the Avengers and alternate history/dimension, post super-villains winning stories.  That appears to be what Age of Ultron is, though we aren’t totally sure by the end of the first issue.  This could be the future if Ultron, who Iron Man has fearfully been saying was possibly coming to power since the Brian Bendis’s restart to Avengers a few years ago.

Brian Hitch’s art is not my style, but it is still pretty good.  I think if you are into superhero comics, this is a pretty good bet.

But the best book I read last week was Superman Family Adventures by a wide margin.  This slice of comic awesome has the plot of Zod sneaking out of the Phantom Zone and starting his latest most nefarious plot… Zod Dogs.  Yes, a hot dog stand will bring about the end of Metropolis and the Man of Steel.  It is this kind of goofiness that has me so in love with this book.  Unknown to the brain trust at DC – who has cancelled Superman Family Adventures – is that there is a place for kid’s goofiness in comics.  There is a place for silly stories about superheroes in their red underpants and strong man boots.

I think I enjoyed it more because while I read this fantastic book I was surrounded by a mix of humanity at the Department of Motor Vehicles (or as I like to call it the DMZ.)  I was chuckling to myself and getting looks from those around me.  Now, the book put me in such a good mood, but I really wanted to shoot back the “%$#@ yeah I’m reading a kid’s Superman book, what are you gonna make of it?” look, but instead I kept reading what is maybe the last of a lost art, kids comics that all can enoy.

 

The Week of March 4th

Published on March 4, 2013 in Comics. 0 Comments

Drink and Draw March

Our next Drink and Draw will be March 14th, same bat-time (8:00pm) same bat-place (Goodsons on Beaver.)  We had a smaller turnout for February, but of course we did it was on Valentine’s day dumb ass.  Thing is, I personally had some great conversations about comics, hockey and I even got to talk politics.  Two regulars are already working on ideas for their own comics, which one of the reasons for this little group.

To add a bit to March, one of the regulars, Carter, has asked to have a drawing challenge.  I like this idea a lot and being days before one of the true great holidays of the year, Saint Pats Day, we will do something connected with that.

 

Things from another weekly

So, most of the time I don’t revisit old stories that I post about.  This week though, two have come to light with additional information regarding them.

First are the WTF DC Entertainment covers.  If you remember, these are gatefold covers that have some sort of shock or awe or What The F@#% element to them.  I, among other retailers complained to DC and wrote here about the fact that stamping a cover with “WTF” begs the question what does it stand for and though you and I may know, a ten year old who asks his mom on their first trip to a comic shop is not the best way to get that mom to bring her son or daughter back to comic books.

This week DCE announced they would NOT be stamping the covers with WTF.  As one comic “news” site speculated it is possible that DCE never planned to use the notation or their minds were changed later.  Either way it is the best path forward, but I think all would agree that it begs the question “who’s dumb idea was it in the first place and seriously have we as an industry fallen this far?”

 

The second thing is the issue over Orson Scott Card writing Superman.  DCE is still going forward with this terrible decision and one site has worked up a great series of interviews with three different retailers as to how or even if they will sell the comic when it does finally come out.  You can check one of them out here (with links to the other two on that page.)  I have been asked and pushed to make a decision on the matter too.  After talking with Kyle and considering all the factors (the most important being that we both have very good friends who are gay and in NO way support the very public bigoted and hate filled actions of Card) we will not be stocking the comic.  However, we do have some very die hard Superman fans as customers and are willing to order it for you specifically.

 

UH, what is your position DC?

So, you may – or by the looks of sales on the book now a days – may not have noticed, but the same week DCE announced they would hire Card on to write a Superman book, a member of the Bat family proposed marriage.  It happened in Batwoman #17 and if you don’t know, the main character is a lesbian.  Yes, that’d be a gay marriage ladies and gentlemen.

I was pretty confused too.  Makes you wonder if there were two press releases ready, or if JH Williams really does get to do his own thing, or if one side of DC doesn’t know what the other side is doing or if they don’t care if it results in money… yeah.

 

Chris Samnee

I feel one of the worst parts of the Orson Scott Card mess on Superman Adventures (besides the fact of how it is being published digital first and THEN print) is the fact that there ARE some very good creators on the book.  One for example is the cover artist.  Chris Samnee is one of my favorite artists working in the industry right now.  His work on Daredevil is beyond great and such a great complement to Mark Waid’s fantasticly old school approach to the character.  As good as Hawkeye is, Daredevil still holds the top spot for best superhero comic in my book.  If you are also a fan you need to check out his home page.  He posts almost every day and it really is some of the best stuff being done in the industry.

 

 Previews

Last week the March Previews came in and there is a lot of good new series in there.  Also, there are a slew of good trades coming from Image, that is what I’m going to look at this week:

The first is Blackacre.

Ronnie has spoken highly and I’ve read the first two issues and I have to say, it is good.  The book is somewhat similar to the slightly political/social commentary of Great Pacific (see below) and The Massive.  However, Blackacre looks more at the natural extension an apocalyptic future if the top 1% of our nation were to get there way.  The book is about a specially designed for the wealthy only living complex – I am sure based on the real life one being built in Idaho as we speak – and what happens after the fall of the rest of the world.  Here is the full solicit:

A walled utopia conceived by the elites of the former United States.  A barbaric wilderness engulfed in the perpetual strife of tribal warfare.  A crack soldier tasked with a clandestine mission to recover a lost comrade. Welcome to the American dark age of the 22nd Century.

The first arc of Image’s dystopian espionage thriller is collected here! Already acclaimed by some of comics’ top creators and released just in time for readers to jump on board with issue 6!  Only $9.99.

 

Next is Global Pacific.

I wasn’t sure what to think of this book when issue one came out.  I can tell you I am really enjoying it now with issue four coming out last month.  It has enough twists and turns and you are never sure who is the hero, but you are sure who are the villains.  It doesn’t beat you over the head with the social and political commentary, but it is there buried deep under all the “garbage.”  Here is the solicit:

When fugitive oil heir Chas Worthington settles the infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patch and declares it his own sovereign nation, the reality of the environmental catastrophe is only the beginning of his odyssey. Collects the first arc of this breakout hit series – a sprawling adventure across earth’s newest, strangest frontier!

Will collect issues one through six and is also only $9.99!

 

And Comeback.

I haven’t read this, but have heard a lot of good comments on those who are.  I lump it in with Nowhere Men.  I would love to stock every single book and take risks with all of them too.  But I can’t, sometimes I have to guess and I guess wrong.  However, it doesn’t mean you can’t read them when they are finally collected.  Here is the solicit:

Reconnect agents Mark and Seth go back in time to save people from their untimely demise – for a fee. But, when a rescue mission goes awry, both agents find themselves trapped in the past and on the run from both the FBI, who want to jail them, and their own employers who want to kill them to protect their own dark and deadly secrets.

Collects Comeback issues one through five, plus never-seen-before extras.  Will run $14.99.

 

Another great trade will be the Cliff Chiang Modern Masters collection from Twomorrows Publishing.  I have long been a big fan of this company and their fantastic publications.  The Modern Masters line of trades are very long form interviews with tons of art in each.  Much being never before seen pieces.  This collection will focus on the fantastic work of Cliff Chiang who is currently working on Wonder Woman.  From the solicit:

His bold, graphic style has a classic feel with a modern sensibility, and it’s no wonder he’s become one of the industry’s top illustrators. Now revealed is just how CHIANG went from promising assistant editor to in-demand freelance artist in MODERN MASTERS VOL. 29: CLIFF CHIANG. It features a career-spanning interview, and loads of both iconic and rarely seen artwork from Cliff’s personal files. There’s also an in-depth look into the artist’s work process, and an extensive gallery of commissioned pieces, many in in full-color.  Will run $15.95.

 

I’ll have more preview highlights next week.

…but for this week…

The Age of Ultron finally arrives.

I don’t really know too much on this really.  The basic event has been hinted at, heck, it has been a lingering developing plot line in The Avengers for several years, but other than “this is the future and we need to fight against it…” blah, blah, blah, What do we know about this series?

Well, I did a little investigation.  What I found online is that it is being hinted at everything from a major crossover to a universe shaking event to the reboot of the entire Marvel Universe.  I can put your mind at rest about that last idea, NO it is not rebooting the Marvel universe.  Marvel Now is way too successful and working way to well to reboot (and DC’s sales are way too bad to warrant a reboot.)

So, it’ll be something between just a story to a major crossover that doesn’t do anything (Secret Invasion) to something that ends Bendis’s run on the Avengers.

You need to understand, this story was started during his run and being that he is on the X-men books now, this wraps his run up.  It isn’t exactly being hyped real big – granted that is usually when comic companies tend to make big changes – and there is something happening at the end of the series that Bendis is calling a top secret “brain numbing surprise.

What do I think?  Remember all the massive changes that came about do to the Age of Apocalypse?  Yeah, the entire Marvel Universe was wiped out and then reset and… everything was fine.  I think, and this is purely speculation, it is an Avengers version of Age of Apocalypse.  Let us home it is as good.

Issue one is out on Wednesday and you’ll see it out every other week for the next four months.