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§ February 22nd, 2005 § Filed under Uncategorized Comments Off on
The mighty Jog the Blog discusses inadvertently spoiling future issues of Concrete: The Human Dilemma for himself over on Dark Horse Comics’ publication database. I couldn’t resist looking to see if I was right about a certain forthcoming event in the book (and as it turns out, I was), so, yeah, there’s a danger of spoiling things for yourself. But I’m with Mr. Jog in his appreciation of Dark Horse’s cataloging efforts.
Wow, here’s a page belonging to a Swedish pin collector, with a special focus on cartoon and comic character pins. Here’s a page full o’Batman pins, for example…or how about some Andy Capp pins? I’m totally jealous…I’m a minor collector of pins and buttons as well (I’m not cataloging them or anything, I’m just kinda accumulating them), and thus I’ll probably be spending a lot of time looking at the images on this site and drooling.
My conversation with pal Dorian the other day:
Dor: “Hey, did Skywald ever publish any good comics?”
Me: “Nope.”
Okay, okay, save the angry e-mails, I was only being half-facetious when I said that. Here’s a checklist of story credits for Skywald’s publications, and there were quite a few talented people working on their magazines. Pablo Marcos, Chic Stone, Ricardo Villamonte, Doug Wildey, Gene Day, Bernie Wrightson, Gray Morrow, so on, so forth…poke through the checklist and see for yourself. Of course, there is a lot of filler material to slog through in any given Skywald publication, but there are a few gems to be found.
Found via Memepool, a randomly-generating comic strip comprised of images from LiveJournal accounts. Strangely compelling.
Took in Constantine last night, and it was…well, it was okay, I suppose. A bit drab and dreary and lacking in energy, even during the film’s infrequent action scenes. It only picked up when Gabriel (played by Tilda Swinton) and the extremely quirky Satan (played by Peter Stormare) showed up on screen. My girlfriend noted that it reminded her of an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, only without the humor. It wasn’t bad, as such, just vaguely disappointing. Occasionally a reference to a specific story element from Hellblazer would pop up in the film, which would just remind me of how said element was handled better in the comics. And as pal Dorian notes, the character of John Constantine is fundamentally different, beyond the cosmetic changes.
I’m also very tired of movies with mumbled dialogue. Speak up, for God’s sake!
Speaking of Constantine, my scan from this post (regarding the pronunciation of Constantine’s name) is popping up here and there, and I hope everyone realizes that I don’t really think it makes any difference how they say his name. As I said, it just amused me. However, even though this wasn’t what I intended to do, when I bought the tickets at the box office last night, I didn’t use the “-teen” pronunciation. The other pronunciation just kinda popped out, I swear.
The only comic book related trailer I saw last night was Batman Begins, and the audience seemed somewhat interested in the goings-on up until the reveal of the Batman mask. At that point, you could hear a very soft wave of groans throughout the theatre.
I didn’t think it looked that bad, but maybe the general movie-going audience isn’t ready for a Bat-flick so soon after this disaster.
I also saw the trailer for Stealth, which pal Dorian also saw and made what is probably a true statement about it. However, Kid Chris saw the trailer during one of the three(!) times (in three different theatres, no less) he saw Constantine on Friday and he was telling me about it on Saturday. A robot plane that’s turned evil by a lightning strike? Fantastic. It can’t possibly be any good, but it looks fun in an entirely trashy sort of way. This trailer also got a more positive reaction from our audience than the Batman Begins one did.
So, in Captain America #172 (April 1974), Cap and the Falcon, shortly after a battle with Moonstone, make this insightful deduction:
And, since at this point in time, they’re fugitives from the law and lacking in resources, they decide to hitch a ride to Nashville:
…where they’re picked up by a very open-minded truck driver who’s willing to give a ride to the nice interracial gay couple (observation courtesy the ubiquitous
pal Dorian, natch):
But upon arriving in Nashville, Cap and the Falcon encounter the Banshee, in what must be the character’s most unflattering portrayal ever:
And that’s pretty much all I have to say about this comic. I mostly just wanted to show you that last panel. Holy cow.
§ February 20th, 2005 § Filed under Uncategorized Comments Off on
Just a couple random notes about last night’s Justice League Unlimited episode:
1. I’m not sure I like the talking Doomsday. The more animalistic Doomsday from the original “Death of Superman” comics was much more menacing. However, it was nice to see a full-out battle between Superman and a foe as strong, if not stronger, than he is. We don’t get enough of that…we barely got it in the Superman cartoon itself.
2. Best part of the episode: everyone groaning in dismay when Batman mentions that he has the Question working on their project. It’s good to know that not everyone in the Justice League is palsy-walsies with everyone else.
3. I did appreciate that the episode built on incidents from previous installments (centering around Amanda Waller and her efforts to “protect the world” from superheroes) without feeling crowded with excessive subplottery or without excluding people who may not have seen the eariler episodes in question. Plus, having Waller not simply be the “evil menace trying to stop our Super Friends” brings about an interesting conflict, as by the end of the episode Batman is very clearly considering her position.
I was doing some random searching with the Google (oh, okay, I was Googling my own name) when I found this Yahoo directory for comic book weblogs. I know some of the descriptions come from the webloggers themselves, but others (including the one for my own site) are from some anonymous Yahoo-ite, I’m presuming. Interesting. Not that I’m complaining about my description…it’s accurate enough. Hopefully they’ll get around to correcting the spelling on pal Dorian‘s name someday, though.
How to make Mike feel old, Part 1: I was helping a customer (hi, Mark!) out yesterday with Nexus back-issues, trying to figure out at what particular issue his collection leaves off. In the process, I pull up #8, at which point I immediately have two thoughts:
1. “Wow, I remember anxiously waiting for this issue to come out!”
2. “Oh, God, this comic is twenty years old!”
You young’uns out there, you mark my words…once you start measuring chunks of your life in 20-year spans, there’s no going back.
In response to this gentleman’s request for Paul Lynde comics (and following up on this good person‘s detective work), here is a page with an image showing all of the Dell Bewitched covers…none of which have any Paul Lynde goodness, I’m afraid. Now if only there were Hollywood Squares comics….
§ February 19th, 2005 § Filed under indies Comments Off on Nova Girls Fun House (1990).
Nova Girls Fun House (1990)
§ February 18th, 2005 § Filed under Uncategorized Comments Off on
While I think a Krypto TV show is fine and dandy, apparently these folks aren’t similarly inclined.
Is there no joy in their hearts? Can’t they see that this image in particular is absolutely fantastic? That’s Ace the freakin’ Bat-Hound, for God’s sake.
(thanks to pal Dorian for reminding me about the show’s impending debut)
§ February 18th, 2005 § Filed under Uncategorized Comments Off on
1. Pal Sean, the quietest member of the ACAPCWOVCCAOE (which is ironic, if you know him in real life), has finally updated Fleshhead’s Treehouse with the first of a series of articles on his preparations for the San Diego Comic Con.
2. Sooner or later, someone was going to customize Smurf figurines to look like the Hulk, Freddy Krueger, Spider-Man, and, yes, Batman and Robin.
3. From the Marvel solicits: actually, I kind of like the idea of a Giant Size X-Men #3. And while that Maximum Fantastic Four hardcover (an annotated overview of Stan ‘n’ Jack’s first FF, with essays and such) sounds pretty neat, it’s still going to be a hard sell at $49.99. And I know someone else on the comicsweblogosphere noted this, but I’m going to agree: Machine Teen is a great title. No idea if the comic’s any good, but that title and the James Jean cover are going to be hard to match.
§ February 17th, 2005 § Filed under this week's comics Comments Off on Top 100 Things I Love About Top 100 Lists!
I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Actually, I did enjoy seeing these snapshots of what everyone out there likes in the way of funnybooks. Well done, internet pals.
I know one or two people out there weren’t happy with these lists being all over the place, but considering that I usually tend to run off at the mouth on this site of mine, I figured a simple list would be a nice break for you! Besides, it was just one list (occasionally two) per weblog…tough it out, you’ll live. Not every post can be lesbian unicorns.
Besides, it made Fred Hembeck happy, and certainly that’s a worthwhile goal! Anyway, keep an eye on this post for future updates on other Top 100s, at least until it finally drives me insane.
Anyway, on to the new comics for the week…let’s see if I can keep it relatively short this time:
Tom Strong #31 – Michael Moorcock and Jerry Ordway are the creative team on this issue. It’s a beautifully illustrated comic, and anything that can give me a gorilla dressed as a pirate is dandy with me.
Promethea #32 – it’s not a good sign when the inside front cover explains how to disassemble and reassemble the comic in order to read it the way it was intended. Yes, it does say that the comic can be read as is, but several of the pages are upside down, and…sheesh, I didn’t have the time for it today. I’ll take the comic apart tomorrow and figure it out then. By the way, for some reason the store got the autographed Promethea cover gallery, but not the accompanying hardcover. My reaction to the cover gallery? “Is it safe to touch something that Alan Moore has handled?”
Adventures of Superman #637 – there’s something about Superman’s face on this cover that bothers me. It’s not quite Alfred E. Neuman-esque, but it’s close…I can’t put my finger on it.
JLA Classified #4 – I admit, it is a little disturbing that the recently-deceased Sue Dibny is runnin’ around in this comic, complete with jokes about her possible pregnancy. However, if you read it with the knowledge that, sooner or later, Sue will most likely be brought back somehow, it’s suddenly a little easier to take.
Apocalypse Nerd #1 – good to see Peter Bagge back in action…not laugh-out-loud funny, but still amusing. Speaking of which, the 300+ page Buddy Does Seattle is now out, collecting the stories from Bagge’s first 15 issues of Hate. A steal at $14.95.
Pin-Up Art of Dan DeCarlo – I’m not generally a collector of girlie-cartoons, but it’s difficult to resist a book full of DeCarlo’s fine artwork. As pal Dorian notes, the fact that all the girls look like they stepped right out of an Archie comic is a wee bit disturbing…or appealing depending on how much of a pervert Betty & Veronica fan you are. And yeah, there’s a lot of orange spot-coloring in this book…Dorian didn’t care for it, but I thought it looked neat. It’s a gorgeous book, with great DeCarlo art…well worth picking up.
Green Lantern: Rebirth #4 – I didn’t realize how much I missed having GL arch-nemesis Sinestro around. What a great villain, with a great name (the only super-villain name that tops it is Captain Nazi*…now that’s evil). Plus, there’s a good sequence in this issue about why not just anyone can pick up a GL ring and start goin’ to town with it…it’s hard to work the ring. I get the feeling this may contradict previous stories, but, eh, big deal. I like this interpretation better.
We received our new Sin City trades today…might as well enjoy ’em while I can, because I don’t have any faith that we’ll get reorders on them anytime soon.
Tomb Raider #50 – last issue, apparently. I wasn’t a fan, but this comic had a fairly faithful following with some of our customers…at least one or two who only read this title.
I cheated, and read our sneak peek of Fantastic Four #523, due next week…the one that picks up with Galactus being stripped of his powers and reduced to being a normal human. Pal Dorian grumbled a bit about it, but I tell ya, this comic was just as great as I was hoping it would be. Made me laugh out loud in parts, it did.
* Speaking of Captain Nazi, halfway down this page, on the right-hand side, is one of those cutesy “super-deformed” icons of Cap’n N. Honestly, what’s up with that?**
** Try doing a Google search on “Captain Nazi” sometime…you can just feel your name getting put on government watch lists somewhere.
§ February 16th, 2005 § Filed under Uncategorized Comments Off on
Samurai Squirrel #1 (1986) – art by Kelley Jarvis & Richard Maurizio
§ February 15th, 2005 § Filed under Uncategorized Comments Off on
1. Not a good sign: saw on our invoice, which I received from Diamond on Sunday, that a couple of the reissued Sin City trades were due to arrive this Wednesday. I thought I’d get a jump on reorders (since for the past couple of months we’ve had plenty of people asking for them), and sent in a reorder via e-mail Sunday evening. I come back in to work Tuesday morning, check the reorder confirmation…and sure enough, the Sin City trades are on back order.
Hopefully this is just a temporary situation…maybe Dark Horse is reserving all copies for initial orders, and will release more copies for reorders in a week or two. I have no idea. I’m really hoping that this won’t be a repeat of the Hellboy situation, where the books were only rarely available for the duration of the movie-spawned demand.
Oh, and copies of Hellblazer: Dangerous Habits, the book from which the producers of the Constantine movie appear to have drawn some minor inspiration, are also on back order.
2. Hey, I don’t have anything against Man-Thing!
3. As already covered by everyone else, the DC solicits are up, but I don’t really have much to say about them this time. A couple things, though: I suppose the cancellation of Fallen Angel is official, what with the “Final Issue” tag. And I share pal Dorian‘s feelings about the artist for the Superman: Infinite City hardcover. Shame, as I may have been interested in picking it up, otherwise. Hey, and Desolation Jones is solicited…I’ve been looking forward to this since I was lucky enough to read the script. Should be fun!
EDIT: 4. My thanks to Fred for pointing out a few more Top 100 lists on his site that I may have missed otherwise…I’ve since added them to my increasingly long-winded and awkward sentence o’links at the beginning of my own list!
EDIT AGAIN: 5. Aaaaargh! I can’t believe I left Kim Deitch off my list!
§ February 15th, 2005 § Filed under Uncategorized Comments Off on
Just enough time for a brief note, before I’m off to work (what with a bunch of auctions ending today)…I wanted to express my appreciation to everybody who did the 100 Things I Love About Comics thing over the last few days. I know we have a couple more apparently still in the offing, but when they’re done, I’ll add them to the link list in my post. Speaking of which, look for that sentence (the one that currently reads “And here are quite a few more fine lists that I have found”) to become longer and even more awkward as more lists turn up. That sentence started out as “and here are some more” with only three links originally!
I did see the idea casually mentioned here and there about lists of 100 Things we all hate about comics, but that seems almost unnecessarily negative. Besides, I’m not sure I can come up with that many…and I’m sure too many of mine would be specific to managing a comic book store (“72. People asking me for the next issue of Battle Chasers“).
However, coming up with the top 100 was no problem. In fact, in no time at all I had a handwritten list of about 150 or so, and could easily have gone to 200. Well, there’s always next year.
Alan provided 100 Annotations to his list of 100 Things, and while I don’t think I’m quite up for that, I did have a friend of mine did ask why I picked Elliot S! Maggin over Cary “Mr. Surprise” Bates (both primary ’70s Superman writers) for my list. Well, I do like Mr. Bates’ work, and had the list gone to 200, I would have certainly had him on there. But, I gave the nod to Maggin as I really appreciated 1) the backstory and future-history he worked out for the Superman saga and continually referred to in his stories, and 2) his intelligent, arrogant, and somewhat quirky Lex Luthor who, while overwhelmed with hatred for Superman, was not an unfeeling monster…occasionally even being treated sympathetically. I don’t have time to go into detail right now, but you might get the idea by reading some of the stuff on Mr. Maggin’s own site.
And yes, I promise…next time, Gorilla Grodd’s on the list!
Remember…keep checking my post for additional links to other lists…I’ll add ’em as I find ’em! (Fred’s keeping a list, too.)
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