Archive for the 'Events' Category

The Week of April 9th

Published on April 9, 2012 in Best Bets, Comics, Events and Shop Crap. 0 Comments

Little punchy as I write this.  Haven’t slept much this week.  Some writing below may be marginally vulgar and barely coherent, but what else is new.. Hardy, Har, Har.

 

Yep, we are still moving…

Urgh.  Is it June yet?

Yes, we are still moving – for those of you who are sad we are moving.

No, it is not May and we have not yet moved – for those of you who are happy we are moving to 2608 Beaver Avenue, right in the heart of the Beaverdale business district.

The big event will take place over a two day period.

Friday, May 4th we will have an End of an Era party starting at 8:00.  This will have a slew of artists signing and sketching, big “we don’t want to move all this” sales, drink specials and free beer.  At midnight we will put out some of the free comic book day selections.  (I say some, because some of them will be put out the next morning at the new shop.)  Then at 12:15 we start packing.  Everyone who would like to stick around and help is welcome.

Saturday, May 5th we open at the new shop at 9:00am.  We will have face painting for kids, a few straggler artists that either didn’t go home or couldn’t make Friday’s event.  It’ll also launch our Free Coffee for the People initiative.  (As you may know we are not going to be able to serve coffee beverages for profit at the new shop, so we have decided to just give the coffee away for free.  You come in and browse, you can have free coffee.)

The old shop will continue on very limited hours after the fifth.

Any questions on the great switch, please ask.

 

Best Deal of the Year…

In the April Preview’s catalogue is one of the coolest damn shirts ever released in the comic industry, a Fish Canner’s replica jersey.  “What is a Canner’s jersey?” you might ask.  This is a replica jersey T-shirt as worn by the Dockside Fighting Fish-Canners.  These are nearly the same stellar jerseys worn by Wide Receiver Freddy “The Fink” Finkle, Center Zeke “Potato Cake” Herbert and Quarterback Art “Pretty Boy” Moon.  The almost exactly same jerseys worn by the multi-ejected, repeated referee kindney puncher and fullback Ray “Bloody” Nabranski.  These are the just about exact jersey worn by franchise rushing record holder (423 yards in one game!!) The Goon.

The shop has had a few hockey jerseys for some lame rec league team before, but those are dumb in comparison to these gems.  Green, black and light blue with the Canner’s logo on the front, you can show your Dockside pride with style now.

“Wow Mister, I’ve always wanted one of those!  How can I gets it and do you offers a special deal for us simple folk?”  Sure do!  If you pre-order and pre-pay we will give you a 25% discount!! The jersey is normally $34.99 and offered in Medium, Large and Extra Large (also in Double Extra Large, but it costs two dollars more.)  They are expected to ship on July 18th.  Order Now!!

When we have our Iowa Cubs night at Sec Taylor Stadium (“Hey, dummy, it’s called Princip…” Shut your pie hole, I’ll call it what I want!!) you can then wear the official jersey of the shop!

(Disclaimer: Possible softball before possible not yet set game; night at I-Cubs won’t even possibly happen until late July.  Don’t pester me about this.  I have other things on my brain right now.)

 

The F@#%ing Eisner Awards…

I was going to list out the nominees for this year’s Eisner awards in the weekly for you.  Thought you all might like to see what was honored with what most consider the highest marks in comics.  The Eisner’s are thought of, by some, as the equivalent of the Academy Awards (or Oscars) in film.

However, as I was cutting and pasting I noticed two GLARING omissions!!  Because of this, you can look them up on your own because if these two didn’t get a nod, seriously, there is something so wrong you don’t need to see them.

The first is the first volume of the Rocketeer.  There was not a better anthology published last year (or in the last ten years) and that includes Dark Horse Presents.  How this near perfect comic series could be left off either best mini-series or best anthology means the committee is either blind or dumb.  (I vote both!)  Sure they got a few nominations right, like some of their kid title nominees and Usagi is back on the nominations again – why it was missing the last couple years as the quality has not dropped but gotten better, I do not know – and they included a few mild nominations for some very deserving writers like Mark Waid on Daredevil, but then I read…

That Dave Stewart wasn’t nominated for best coloring!!  They need to name the award after him he has won it so many times.   How good is Dave Stewart?  He is listed on the cover of Dark Horse Books he colors!  Colorists are artists too and Dave Stewart is the best.  To leave him off means there are five more deserving of HIS award then him, and that is a crock of sh!t.  You can disagree with me on any facet of comics you would like and you may have some validity to your poorly worded argument, but Dave Stewart is the best damn colorist working in the industry.  Period.  There is NO discussion.

These awards are either worthless or fixed.  (Why fixed?  See two years ago when best series was won by The Walking Dead, right before the TV show came out.  That is how fixed they are.)

So, f#$% the Eisner Awards!  I’m done with them.  There will not be any signs in the shop about them and there will be no more tabs telling you what won best series and writer and artist.  You disrespect the best, you are dead to me.

 

It has been brought to my attention…

A good customer was in the shop today and talking with the employee on duty at the time when a curious bit of info was relayed that caught my ear.

The book Astonishing X-Men #48 sends this group of X-Men including Northstar in a new direction with a major media centered event happening in issue #50 that will probably send “frothy mixture” of hate and stupidity Rick Santorum threw the roof.  However, in that issue #48 there is an editing over site that questions if an editor is even looking at the book/script/pages at all.

Editing is not an easy job.  You need to check everything from continuity to spelling to style to managing a schedule.  However, that is why there are a few different levels of editing on any one comic.  Different editors do different things.

So, in issue 48 at the beginning of the comic Northstar is called by his actual name, Jean Paul.  Then twice more in the book he is called Jean Claude, including by his boyfriend Kyle.  I understand mistakes, but come on!  I can’t even come up with a good enough reason for a no prize.  Sure, Gambit might forget or not know his name – he is just a dumb thief from the terrible dregs of nineties comic creation.  Maybe he likes Van Dame movies.  Maybe he was recently concussed during a super fight, but no way Northstar’s main squeeze forgets.

So how many editors and other staff missed this, at least six.  Come on Marvel, I get it.  He’s Canadian and you are showing your blatant discrimination.  If cancelling Alpha Flight wasn’t enough you are now intentionally messing up a great super powered Canuck’s name.  Maybe just mad because they know Lord Stanley’s Cup is headed to Vancouver this year.  Screw the Rangers.

 

Need to do some catch up on AvsX…

If you have picked up and read Avengers vs. X-Men #0 and #1 and don’t normally read either main title, you might find yourself a little lost.

Well, Comics Alliance has what you need, a little catch up.

Here is the link and though not full of lots of crazy inane facts, it is nice and fairly comprehensive.  A good starter for those of you who might need a little info.  It is all about enjoying comics, you know.

 

Ronnie’s Best Bets…

There’s quite a few interesting new series starting this week:

Secret

The second-in-a-month new ongoing series from Jonathan Hickman (FF, Manhattan Projects) teams with his Red Mass for Mars artist Ryan Bodenheim.  This title is reportedly going to explore the way private security firms have a bigger role and more power than it should and how our government likes it that way.  Also includes espionage at the highest of stakes.  Cool.

Alabaster Wolves

Written by award winning novelist Caitlin R. Kiernan, this dark fantasy story is based on her short fiction book Alabaster.  This mini-series will follow a young albino girl in the southern US as she hunts monsters and demons, something she has been doing since she was a child.  The preview art from Steve Lieber looks suitably creepy.

America’s Got Powers

Artist Bryan Hitch, who has worked on just about everything at the Big Two, and writer Jonathan Ross (Turf and longtime BBC anchor) bring us a 6 issue mini-series of a world with a whole lot of superpowered teens running around San Francisco.  Sounds a bit familiar, but instead of putting them in a special school, they are on a reality TV show competing to be a member of a superhero team… and not be dead.  The premise is pretty goofy, but the advance reviews have been really strong.

Secret Service

From writer and hype-man extraordinaire Mark Millar (Kick-Ass, Nemesis, Red Son) and artist Dave Gibbons of (the original, near perfect, should be left alone) Watchmen fame comes a new series.  That’s about all I can tell you, there is next to no information released other than Mark is pretty sure this is the greatest thing that has ever happened… until his next series.

Northlanders #50

Rather than a new series, this is the last issue of a terribly underrated one.  Writer Brian Wood’s (DMZ, Channel Zero, Conan, the upcoming Massive) Viking series had many unique elements to it.  Each arc has been a standalone story of northern barbarians, which has meant you could pick up anywhere in the series without missing out on any continuity.  He has been able to secure some of the best artists in the biz to work on this series.  Great ones like Danijel Zezelj, Becky Cloonan, Ryan Kelly, Fiona Staples and Riccardo Burchielli, many of which I would never have pictured doing anything like this.  The current arc has been the longest (and best) at nine issues, with most being three to five issues capped with a one-shot.  All of them have been a complete, satisfying story.  I highly suggest that you pick up one of the trade paperbacks or a one-shot.  I never cared about Vikings (Editor’s Note – Because Ronnie is a racist against the superior Scandinavians.  Stupid Ronnie.), nor would I ever want to, but a good story is a good story.  And this has been one of the best reads out there for the last 5 years.  R.I.P.

 

I personally am looking forward to Secret and Northlanders.  Alabaster Wolves sounds interesting, so I’ll probably give that a look.  I’ll also probably grab Conan #3, Lobster Johnson #4, Saga #2, Saucer Country #2, Spongebob #8, Thief of Thieves of #3 and Unwritten #36, as well as some of the Gotham City books.

What are you gonna grab?

The Week of April 2nd

Published on April 2, 2012 in Best Bets, Events and Shop Crap. 0 Comments

Avengers vs. X-Men Party Tuesday April 3rd 7:00

The mega-crossover is nearly a pone us and to celebrate the launch of the big event we are having a party and are being allowed to sell issue one that Tuesday night.  We will also have Sales, Discounts, Prizes, first shot at Variant Covers, maybe some cake and – of course – Free Beer!

I know several of you are into costuming and by all means you are encouraged to dress as an Avenger or an X-Man.  We might try and come up with a game or two as well.

Should be a good time and think about it, what else are you doing on a Tuesday night?

 

Launch of Adventures of Nikki Harris #4, ALSO on April 3rd

Local comic creator Carter Allen will be launching issue #4 of The Adventurs of Nikki Harris Tuesday, April 3rd.  While another comic company (who must not be named) is launching their own universe-shattering event, Nikki and her friends and foes battle it out in the far future, with the fate of the galaxy at stake!  Or was it for a new iPad(tm)?  Either way, creator Carter Allen will be signing copies of the Giant-Sized issue, sketching, having the occasional beverage and offering his opinions on why the comic cross-over peaked around the time Gary Coleman met Knight Rider… or was it when Simon and Simon teamed up with Magnum P.I.?

For more info and some art check out the comic book bin AND if you want to get an earlier issue… early…  One through three are at the shop right now.

 

More on the Move…

So, we continue work on the move.

If you don’t know, we are moving to 2608 Beaver Avenue.  It is happening on May 5th and will coincide with Comic Book Day.  We plan an End of an Era Party on the 4th with big sales, a huge in-store signing and a midnight packing party followed by a crazy move to the new shop and re-opening at the Beaverdale location at 9:00 am the next morning.

We will also be open on the south side that day as well as Sunday and select hours after the 5th, but all comics will be moved overnight between the fourth and fifth.  After that move, for two weeks we will have very special hours posted online and on the door.  However, if you would still like to get your hold box at the south side location, you may, but you will have to talk to me to set that up.  Also, as change in comic collector’s lives can be a bad thing, I am making an offer to set up delivery.  I currently deliver to one account and am willing to deliver to more.  Your business is important to us and we are willing to do what we need too to make it the move right with you.

Now, coffee customers.. I don’t have as many special arrangements for you.  We have to do away with our espresso part of the business.  This is not by choice.  Ask your city why ordinances are in place to stifle growth by small business.  Ask your city and county how much fat, oil and grease we put down the drain.  Ask why an ordinance is in place that has no inspection, no exemptions but instead blankets businesses with uncompromising restrictions.  Ask why a business can’t sell coffee or serve bottled beer (lots of grease, oil and fat in a capped bottle of beer.  Yes, if I sold you a beer… in a bottle… and you drank it, handed the empty back to me, I would STILL need a grease interceptor.)  That is what we dealt with when we had to decide if we would continue doing coffee or expand to serving other beverages.  Yes, I will write MUCH more on this, you can be sure.

If you have any questions on the move, please e-mail or talk to any of us.  We will do our best to answer them.

Next week, I might have pictures posted on line of the new place.

 

Now let’s get to some comics.

Dan Didio’s Reign of Terror…

Last week Comics Alliance ran an article written by Dan DiDio, one of the five heads of the DC hydra (I think his official “department” is head of publishing) about his successes at the helm over the last ten years.  This is what he had in a form of a countdown…  (shocker that didn’t make it on there)

1. BATMAN #608/HUSH, 2. IDENTITY CRISIS, 3. GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH, 4. SUPERMAN/BATMAN: SUPERGIRL, 5. COUNTDOWN TO INFINITE CRISIS, 6. INFINITE CRISIS, 7. 52, 8. SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE,

9. BATMAN, GREEN LANTERN AND THE “FIVE-YEAR-PLAN,” 10. THE NEW 52

Here’s the link with the genius’s write-ups on each of these “fantastic” selections.  Please go read it and maybe it wipes out my bitching, or maybe it strengthens it.  You be the judge.

I don’t have time to get into a long winded diatribe about A) how poor this list is ripping on each and every one of these and B) how bad of an editor/executive/whatever DiDio is/was/will be.  Instead I’m going to point out three things missing from the list.

The first is the Absolute size format.  Scott Dunbier (now of IDW) was a great editor that came up with this amazing larger format collection that, yes, did cost a fortune, but also is the finest printings of comics known in the industry.  Dunbier left DC and moved over to IDW and is responsible for the Artist Edition there.  I guess though DiDio wouldn’t want to showcase something that also shows the failure in DC to keep up with publishing, in collected form any part of its past.  Since Dunbier’s departure from the company, all the archives have also ground to a halt.  But, really, who cares, since DiDio has the new 52 to play with and DC’s history and past have been wiped clean.

I want to include Wednesday Comics in this list too, but I think it should be put with the Absolute format as it was kind-of the Absolutely best comic to come out from DC during DiDio’s run.  Like a Sunday funnies newspaper format and published once a week, with only a page of story per issue it was both a challenge to create and a marvel to be hold.

The second I would wonder about is Final Crisis.  So, one of the better written of any major crossover in comic’s history is absent.  Could this have anything to do with most of Grant Morrison’s work seems to be missing as well?  Morrison’s Batman is THE best the character has ever and probably will ever be done.  Wouldn’t this be a proud moment?  I guess if he had very little to do with it, then maybe not.  And if that is the case, at the very least the major crossover that was so amazingly well done should be one of his “accomplishments” unless it was quality and therefore not able to be added to this wretched list.

What struck me dumb by this list is how many really badly written stories (Earth One Superman, return of Supergirl) are on this list and how many of the fantastic are missing.  Maybe again this points to how bad many of the new 52 books are.  If quality is so easily overlooked at DC these days it does make it much easier to see why Justice League is their number one seller.

The Third and last is the lack of diversity of names in the creator side.  There are only the top echelon of creators in this list.  Loeb, one of the worst of the current “Top” writers in the industry is on here twice.  Johns, who is now with DiDio as one of the five heads in the DC Hydra, is on here six times.  Even JM Stracynski, who quit two very big, very high profile books during this reign of terror – I guess that didn’t make the list – is highlighted.  But Grant Morrison, arguably the best comic book writer in the industry today, has to share his “highlight” with Geoff Johns.  A comic book company is only as good as the creators who work for it and the lowering of one of the greatest, someone who should be a shining beacon of your success, is a great mistake that WILL come back to bite you in the ass.

I could continue, but DiDio does so for me.  He mentions Before Watchmen and this reminded me of what should have been on this list; the elimination of Paul Levitz as Publisher.  This should have been number one on his list of accomplishments.  You would NEVER have seen Before Watchmen or The New 52 under Levitz.  You never would have seen much of the junk done by DC in the last two years under Levitz.  Would you have seen the first legit challenge to Marvel’s dominance either?  No, I don’t think so, but quality, steady publishing would have been the norm, not the aberration.

First I need to give the devil his due, DiDio does say that all three of these could and maybe should have made his list.  But they didn’t and Earth One Superman did!  It is the worst thing, comic or other wise, I may have ever read in my life.  I quote someone close to me, “is Superman retarded in this book?  He looks like he kind of has down syndrome and acts like… we’ll he is mentally handicapped.”  That beats Final Crisis or Wednesday Comics, Dan?  Maybe you are mentally handicapped.

In closing on this horrible thing…

I’ve already written to much on a link I should never have even clicked on, but I wanted to relay a conversation I had that really sums up the New DC.  I talked to one of my favorite non regulars (as he lives in the Quad Cities not in Des Moines) this weekend.  I was amazed to hear he collects near nothing from DC anymore, but as I was talking to him I realized he is an old school collector who had been enjoying the more simplistic, less dark, less violent DC of his youth and now can’t relate to this new DC.  I agreed with everything he had to say about it and looking over this list realized we had been seeing bad for years, just at least we hadn’t been slapped in the face.  It was the reboot – that was initially, emphatically NOT a reboot – that has so disenfranchised us that we take a long look at comics in general and makes us wonder how much our youthful love of comics can be pushed before we push back and say “enough!”  Thanks Dan DiDio, that is your greatest accomplishment and your greatest disgrace.

 

Ronnie’s Best Bets…

I want to point out a few good series that you may be missing out on. Some of these series are selling out fast, but ask me and I will see about getting 2nd prints. This spring we have seen an explosion of quality creator owned series. All of these series are the kind of titles that show why comics are a very unique medium, and that there is much to be done with that medium that we haven’t seen yet.

 

The Manhattan Projects – By FF writer Jonathan Hickman with his Red Wing partner Nick Pitarra, The Manhattan Projects is an alternate history story starring the likes of Einstein and Oppenheimer. A very smart, very strange title.

For fans of Fantastic Four/FF, theoretical science, and Warren Ellis.

Second issue is scheduled for April 18th.  An under shipped second printing of number one arrives this week.

 

Peter Panzerfaust – This is another of those “classic fairy tales set in our modern world” stories, but so far it has been a ton of fun. Technically a retelling of Peter Pan, this is more of a war story than anything else. The first two issues are set in France during WWII while the Nazi’s are advancing across the country. Peter is an American caught in the crossfire while Calais falls. The art is great and so far the story has been a lot more exciting than Fables has been of late.

For fans of war stories, Fables, and big dumb fun.

Third issue is scheduled for April 11th.

 

Saucer Country – One issue in and this is already one of my favorite series. A Sci-Fiction/political mash up featuring presidential elections, alien abductions, immigration reform and saving the entire world. The art by Ryan Kelly (Local and the awesome new web comic Cocotte) is just stunning.

For fans of the West Wing, X-Files and incredible art.

Second issue is scheduled for April 11th.

 

Fatale – The current Ed Brubaker/Sean Phillips title is a mix of pulpy crime and terrifying horror. It seems that any style or genre that this team tries (Criminal, Incognito), it’s gonna be one of the best titles out there.

For fans of HP Lovecraft, good Alan Moore, and Hellboy.

Issue four is scheduled for April 4th.

 

A few more to consider: Dark Horse Presents, Thief of Thieves, Saga, The Secret History of DB Cooper. Plus this spring/summer we are gonna see The Massive, a new Tank Girl series (with Jim Mahfood art!), The Channel Zero Omnibus and the re-release of Grant Morrison’s The Invisibles in an oversized 1500 page hard cover! …drool…

 

Those are some series that I believe deserve some attention from all you smart readers out there. I can guarantee they all will be a funner read than any of the Big Two’s spandex books. We seem to be in the middle of a creator-owned renaissance, which makes this a very good time to be reading comics.

 

C-Day!!

Published on March 15, 2012 in Events. 0 Comments

here are some pictures of our event Wednesday, March 15th… the day that will be known in infamy as C-Day!!

Shameless Plug – Buy Crossed Badlands #1 Today!! – Shameless Plug

It is written by Garth Ennis… alright, fine… here are your damn pictures.

Faithful Ronnie defends the shop from the hoards of Crossed customers.

Well, poor Ronnie is done for.  bad day for him.  Boo for Ronnie.

After the Crossed crowd are “done”  - shudder – with Ronnie, he turns on his favorite friend, awesome-est boss of all the times and purveyor of fine comics.  Ronnie, don’t hit your boss.  You are Firer…. ARRGGHH!!

Never to young to start them on extreme horror.  I hope the press doesn’t get wind of this.  I see picketers in our future.  Ha, Ha!

ROY PALMERSTON!!!  PITT The ELDER!!!

This Barley Chai is Awesome!!

The Week of February 20th

Published on February 20, 2012 in Comics and Events. 0 Comments

Your Weekly E-Mail from Cup o’ Kryptonite.

 

Not a lot of news this week.  Could have used such a slow week last week, but that is the way of comics I guess; big weeks and small weeks.

 

Order Note – If you have anything you want ordered out of the February previews, it needs to be submitted by Wednesday.

 

Bad news on getting Mike Richardson to our shop.  We found out on Tuesday that we didn’t win the contest, not real surprising, but hey, we gave it a shot.  Pretty honored to even make it that far.  Oh well, next…

 

Reminder of stuff happening…

3XWrestling is Friday at All Play!

I’ve been remiss in mentioning 3X over the last few months, but I shouldn’t be.  You should see what they have done with themselves.  The production value has become top notch.  (Seriously, if you watch Ring of Honor, it is hard to tell a difference.  They have really stepped it up.)

The next event, Reign of Terror III, is Friday February 24th and will see several great matches including Ryan Slade getting his King of Des Moines Championship match against Iron Man Mark Sterling.  Also, former WWE, WCW and ECW champion Perry Saturn will be in action.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Cup and at a discount too.

 

Neighborhood 3 at the Des Moines Social Club…

This is a new play that you might have interest in.  It is about Zombies, Video Games and broken families and has been getting great reviews.  Also, I can offer you a discount on tickets.  If you order on line and go through midwesttix.com and use the code COMICS you can get them for only eight dollars a seat.  However, you are going to have to go soon, show goes through the 26th.

 

Comic Book Men…

So, I guess there was this show on after last week’s airing of AMC’s Walking Dead.  It was called Comic Book Men.  Created by Kevin Smith, it was, I assume, in the vein of the reality show Pawn Stars.  Normally, this is not my thing – especially the Kevin Smith part, but a couple reviews have me wanting to see it – in the same way you can’t look away from a train wreck.

The first review is more positive.  It is a Five Sentence review by Dan Finney.  Though not an ultra high endorsement, it isn’t anything like the one from Comic Alliance.  Holy Cats, that one is a beating and a half!  So much so that one of the loser members of show fired back at them rather harshly.

Read the reviews, watch the show and decide for yourself.  I am not a fan of Kevin Smith, his writing or, for the most part, his movies (though Clerks was very good, he hasn’t really done anything of high quality since, though I will admit that Red State was not a total waste of time.)  I expect this will just make me mad, so, in the end, I will probably not watch it.

 

The Justice League of Hanna Barbera…

Do you ever see something on line that isn’t real, but if it was you would support.  I think I found one for sure.

 

Review…

Peter David and Mark Waid’s Marvel comics

This is less a review and more fan boy praise.  If you don’t read either of the regular books these two write for Marvel, X-Factor and Daredevil respectively, you are missing out.  Both are such throwbacks to older days and reminders of what comics used to be.

Most recently X-Factor, whose sales have been slowly increasing, has had a plot with Madrox the Multiple Man dying and hoping multiple worlds at each death.  Daredevil, whose sales now show crazy numbers like the book has never seen, has been slowly developing a mega plot involving super villains like AIM and Hydra while not really doing arcs at all, but just small one or two issue super hero stories developing the character.

Why do I mention these two writers and their books?  I mention them because I like reading old comics. I mention these writers who don’t feel the need to be part of the bigger more massive universe spanning plots.  Yes, both get pulled into crossovers, but both still write simple stories of good versus bad clad in spandex.  Comics we used to read.  Both are such fresh departures of what else is being done by both of the big comic houses and reminders of what and why we used to read.

Currently, these two old dogs are only on one book each for Marvel, but I hope the brain trust that is running the mickey mouse operation sees the quality they are putting out and allow them the opportunity to take over more.  How much better could Marvel be if the old guard were to reign over it?  We will probably never know, but I need not wonder, I just pull those old books off the shelf and I see what could be and has been.

 

Week of January 9th

Published on January 9, 2012 in Comics, Events, Movies and Reviews-comics. 2 Comments

I am so glad the holidays are over.

They are just big, dumb and mess up schedules… yes, I’m referring to Diamond and UPS.  Sorry about their inability to work, get the books out and shipped while staying on the schedule they set up to… not have this happen.  Whatever, it is over and we are back to normal.

 

A few things to look forward to in 2012, besides the end of the world…

We will be having a C-Day event on March 14th.

What is C-Day?  It is the relaunch/start of the new Crossed ongoing book and this one is written by Garth Ennis.  We will have some kind of party that day and with it being but days before Saint Pats Day, Curt thought “why not have Free RED beer!”  Great Idea, genius even!!  So, yes, free blood beer for everyone (over 21.)  We will also be doing something to benefit The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund too.

 

On April 3rd, we will launch Avengers vs. X-Men with a pre-party.

I’m not sure what that will entail exactly, but there will be Marvel free-bees and stuff… probably free beer too.  That one is a little further out and only moderately on the radar.

 

Book Shipping this Week…

Good friend of the shop, Brook Turner has a one shot coming out this week.  It is called Deadlands Blackwater.  I must say I am a big fan of Brook’s art and I’m not saying this just because he is one of our longest hold customers, but because he is a great artist.  If nothing else, take a look at it when you come in.

Brook did Golly with Phil Hester a couple years back.  Brook is not a full time artist, he has a “real” job too.  Lets hope we see more of his work in more comics soon.  If we can, the number of regular industry workers continues to grow in Des Moines.  Don’t forget that Ron Wagner (GI Joe and if you have been to Zombie Burger lately, all the art on the walls) and Tyler Walpole (D&D) work regularly through IDW and though you don’t see it on your comic racks, Adam Van Wyk is constantly working on the next animated adventure.  It is my understanding Adam was recently called out on some commentary of the Venture Brothers as “one of the best story board artists in the industry.”  I wish our local press would acknowledge these guys for their work.

 

Walking Dead TV Show…

Found something to make you sad.  Yes, Frank Darabont is not going to have anything to do with the second half of this season’s Walking Dead.  If you want to feel even worse about that, wait until you read what might have been in an episode that now, will never be.

You can find it here at IO9.com.

 

Bane is a mush mouth?…

If you have seen the stupid movie trailer for the inevitably terrible Batman Rises, than you too are saying, “What the hell is wrong with, is that Bane” and “what the hell did he even say” and “I can’t understand a word of his mumble mouthed non Latino – ‘cause Bane is Hispanic – ass!?!”

But Conan O’Brien is here to help.

You can find it all here on Comic Alliance.

Or you could go with something completely different.

In the same article on Comic Alliance, it also mentioned that the long ballyhooed white Akira, is dead.  Finally, someone somewhere decided, “No, it is not okay to take original source material and Sh!t on it.”  If you have never read Akira, easily the best manga I’ve ever been exposed too, you knew the ‘changes’ they had planned – like making the main characters white anglo-saxon protestants – was just plain a really bad idea.  Good job and big thumbs up faceless evil executive from stupid film company.  Kudos to you for the one good decision you will make in your life.

 

Also…

Lots of love to Comic Alliance this week.  They also have a great list of their top 11 of last year.  A nice read, though you should think of it in reverse order – Atomic Robo is number 11.  You can find the list here.

 

Anyone see December’s numbers?…

OH, was that glossed over in this week’s mainstream comic “news?”  No one noticed that Marvel is back on top in both Retail Market Share AND Unit Market Share?

Yes, it is by slim margins but it demonstrates what I’ve been saying about the great and wonderful reboot at DC, the strength of the start could not be held.  Like a long distance runner (que the Iron Maiden song) you can’t start a race with a sprint, you will tire and fall off.

While everyone was printing up stories about the strength of one issue of Justice League (is sold over 360,000 copies) the numbers came out show the continued slide and overall that the DC reboot is failing.

In case you cared what the actual numbers were, here you go, these come directly from Diamond. Marvel Comics led the print market in December, narrowly edging DC Entertainment in both the Retail Dollar (34.43% for Marvel vs. 33.74% for DC) and Unit Share (39.05% vs. 37.72%) categories.

I hate to say I told you so…. But….

 

Ronnie and I didn’t do a worst read, book or company of the year in my tops of 2011 last week and the week before.  There was too much to choose from in all that fourth quarter crap released from DC.  This is both as a retailer that has also been a collector for over thirty years too.  You CAN NOT separate yourself.  Those that do, run the risk of not understanding the product they are trying to sell.  Those that do, are not able to move customers to better written or drawn comics.  You can’t let your personal preferences cloud your judgment and though many of you, I am sure, feel my dislike and downright hate of what DC has done is clouding it, I strongly come back with – You are wrong sir.  I see the drops.  I see the customers brought in by the initial start that have just stopped coming back in.  I see the confusion in people’s voices as they ask “how is it that Martian Manhunter and Guy Gardner do not know each other?”  I can’t answer the questions poised about the non-existent continuity that once was the bedrock of this company.

I have, however, helped a good number of these new customers move to better books ones I hope they will enjoy them more and ones they will hopefully stay with.

Anyone out there that is saying, “okay, smart ass, if DC is so bad – point me to something I’ll enjoy better than Detective Comics?”  Please, come in on Wednesday or Sunday morning and talk to me.  I’ll find you a book that will come with a guarantee over something that you currently read from DC.  It will probably be from Dark Horse, but none the less… I assure you, it is better than the chaos being published by DC right now.

End rant.  On to…

 

REVIEWS…

Fatale #1 – by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips

This is the same team that did the Criminal series and the Incognito series.  Those are the same series, that collection after collection, remind me how good comics as a storytelling medium, can be.

With Fatale, Brubaker and Phillips take on horror – with plenty of crime mixed in for good measure.  You can see many elements that have made the other series so good; similar storytelling styles like structure, pacing and characters.

You can only assume that this will take on a much more horror oriented feel in subsequent issues – the first issue is not over wrought with horror elements – due to the fantastic write up in the back of the issue.  It is a great piece of scholarly writing about one of literature’s scariest writers, H.P. Lovecraft.  I swear sometimes I would get these books just to learn about the writers, characters and pulp time periods that are highlighted in these pieces (that you can only find in the single issues.)

The first issue was good, but not great.  However, I am guessing just like the other series, it was not one issue that was great, but the whole series as a whole.  I am sure that is how this will be too.

-NOTE- Issue one sold out at Cup in less than a day.  I am told it is sold out city wide.  A second printing is on the way already, but will not arrive until February 1st.  If you want one, I can have it pulled for you when it arrives.

The Goon #37 – by Eric Powell

How many times do I need to review The Goon and tell you this is one of the best books being published for you to believe me and buy this great comic?  Whatever… fine.  Keep reading (any of the books below that are not as good as the Goon which is most of them.)  Not my fault.  I tried to get you to love something good.