§ March 24th, 2005 § Filed under collecting, pal dorian, retailing Comments Off on In which I add a title to a blog post 14 years later just so I have something to properly link to.
Sorry, no rundown of every comic title this week. I’m still recovering from the last four weeks’ worth of commentary!
To build on something my esteemed weblogging colleague pal Ian noted…I posted something* quite a while ago about how the “Giant-Size Man-Thing” jokes should probably be given a rest now that the joke has come full circle and actually been used in a published issue of Man-Thing. So, now that one of the Big Two has actually published a comic with the slightly unwieldy title of DC Countdown to Infinite Crisis, all those jokes, like the one Ian mentions, about crossovers with ridiculous names like “Atlantis Attacks the Secret Crisis of the Millennial Genesis of Champions,”** should hopefully come to a rest as well. Though, to be fair, the actual indicia of the comic reads DC Countdown.
Yes, that means I’ve read next week’s DC Countdown, since DC surprisingly included it in the retailer preview pack this week. Well, I can say that I enjoyed it for what it was: a semi-tour of current events in the DC Universe, and a lead-in to forthcoming events in various books. “To be continued throughout the DC Universe,” it says at the end. It’s certain to royally piss off people who were already pissed off by Identity Crisis, so keep that in mind before you buy it.
CONVERSATIONS AT THE STORE, ONE
Yesterday morning, after the new comics order has been broken down and counted, and I’m taking a moment to flip through the new Overstreet Price Guide:
Me: “I’m going to poke though the glossary and see if Overstreet has officially accepted the term ‘Bronze Age’…whoa, hold on.”***
Dor: “What?”
Me: “Not only does the definition appear without any disclaimers, they say the Bronze Age runs from ’70 to 1984!”
Dor: “What about the other ages?”
[brief discussion follows about the other comics ages, until….]
Me: “Lemme look up ‘Modern Age’ — huh? It’s ’92 to present?”
Dor: “What’s ’85 to ’91? [makes wild, sarcastic guess] ‘Copper Age?'”
Me: [after looking it up] “Holy crap, it is Copper Age!”
Conversation devolves into laughter and swearing shortly afterwards. Tape ends.
Later, poking through Overstreet, Dorian discovers an article about “Pioneer Age” comics, from the 1500s into the early 1800s. Oh dear.
I’m assuming “Bronze Age” ends at ’84 because of Crisis on Infinite Earths, probably as clear a demarcation between “eras” as you’re going to get in the early ’80s. And presumably 1992 is the start of the “Modern Age” as that’s the year Image was unleashed upon an unsuspecting world.
I’m not sure what was different enough about ’85-’91 to keep it from being listed as “Modern Age” as well…the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the subsequent black and white boom? The release of stuff like Miracleman and Watchmen and Dark Knight? The proliferation and success of certain indie companies, some of which were dead or dying in ’91 (like, say, First Comics)? Well, okay, I guess in retrospect, it was quite a different period from the Image/Wizard/speculator boom that followed…but still, “Copper Age?”****
Oh, and on the topic of actual prices in Overstreet…every time a new edition comes in, the first thing I look at is the House of Secrets listing to see how #92 (the first Swamp Thing) is doing. Looks like my copy is in the $600 range now. Cool. Er, not that I’m selling.
CONVERSATIONS AT THE STORE, TWO
Instead of a semi-accurate, partially-fictionalized transcript, I’m just going to tell you that pal Corey and Kid Chris had a discussion about Booster Gold as a Christ figure, and leave it at that.
Oh, yeah, new comics yesterday. The Manhattan Guardian, the newest Seven Soldiers of Victory spin-off, is quite good. And, well, I’m trying to keep current DC events out of my mind as I read about the adventures of the Giffen-era league in Justice League Classified, but, well, as I’ve said before, it’s kind of rough to see jokes about Sue Dibny’s pregnancy.
Ah, and I see what took New Avengers #4 so long to come out…they were busy constructing extra butt for this cover. And what’s up with the trade dress on the new issue of Rogue? The stripe across the top of the comic, with the little Comics Code Authority-esque stamp at the right hand side with Spidey’s face? A portent of things to come? Or did I just miss one of Marvel’s many press releases somewhere along the way? EDIT: Well, duh. Commenter Craig points out what should have been obvious to me. What’s odd is that I had two separate thoughts about this cover during new comics day: “hey, what’s with the trade dress” and “oh, look, it’s based on the cover to Uncanny X-Men #173.” Had the two thoughts ever encountered each other in my head at any point, I would have answered my own question. See what new comics day does to comic shop employees?
All you Jhonen Vasquez fans should note that there’s a new issue of Filler Bunny this week as well. Now with extra offensiveness! (We’re sure to sell a ton of ’em.)
The last part of the second Simpsons/Futurama crossover is out…and, well, the first series was better, I think, though not to say this series was bad by any means. Hopefully now they have enough pages to put both series into a much-needed trade paperback.
If any of you picked up the James Bond Casino Royale book this week, Dorian noticed that one of our copies was missing several pages, so you might want to check yours as well.
We also got our Free Comic Book Day shirts today, so it’s time to turn ourselves into walking billboards. Well, Kid Chris and I got ours…Dorian sprang for the tasteful polo shirt, which apparently hasn’t shipped yet.
* It’s at the bottom of the page…you may have to scroll down a bit. I hadn’t quite worked out the whole image-posting thing at the time.
** Actually, that was kinda fun, making up that title!
*** In retrospect, I think I already did know that Overstreet had accepted the Bronze Age term…I just have the old price guide caveat of “Bronze Age is an informal definition” stuck in my head.
**** Yes, I realize how nerdy and obsessive this all sounds. Honestly, I don’t worry that much about it…my time’s better spent keeping track of all that obscure Swamp Thing trivia.
§ March 17th, 2005 § Filed under Uncategorized Comments Off on
Okay…this is the last time I’m doing this full rundown…a month’s worth is enough, don’t you think? (Here are entries one, two, and three in the series…collect ’em all.) As always, just funnybooks…no mags, manga books, or graphic novels. Some titles may not be in your area, and vice versa.
ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #638 – Didn’t we just have a Mr. Mxyzptlk story not that long ago? Not that I’m complaining…Mxy always seems to add some much needed fun to the Super-books. Plus…this is quite a different character from the malevolent being introduced in the mid-80s revamp. A lot more sympathetic, and a lot more interesting, than the sociopathic monster that they tried to force on us.
AFTERMATH BLADE OF KUMORI #4 – During the Wednesday morning unpacking panic, I took a half-glance at this cover and thought, for only a second, that it was Kabuki. And then I realized I could actually make sense of the cover, and thus it couldn’t possibly be Kabuki.
ANGELTOWN #5 – Actually, I’m half-surprised DC didn’t make this an ongoing series…though with the high-attrition rate new series have at the Big Two, you should probably make that “one-quarter surprised.” Sold okay for us, but not great.
ASPEN SEASONS SPRING 2005 #1 – So after not getting any Michael Turner comics for weeks, we get two in one day?
BATMAN STRIKES #7 – I just can’t get into this new animated version of Batman. It’s just so…unappealingly designed.
BATTLE OF THE PLANETS PRINCESS #5 – I think once sales on a Battle of the Planets comic, even one starring the Panties…er, the Princess, can’t warrant color interiors, it’s probably time to just let the license rest.
BEST OF THE WEST #48 – So is there really any kind of cost advantage at printing this thing at digest size? I suppose there must be, giving the print run on this book has got to be at fanzine levels. I’m glad this book exists, but the smaller size…well, I was going to say it would hurt sales, but it’s not exactly a blockbuster to begin with, is it? I imagine the audience for old Western reprints probably isn’t too picky about the format, so long as it’s readable.
BETTY & VERONICA #207 – For those of you longing for the days of naughty Archie comics, this issue brings you…Betty in her underwear. Yes, that’s right, you heard me.
BIGFOOT #2 – It’s Richard Corben, so it looks good…the first issue has had so-so sales at our shop, but once the Corben fans find out about it, I’m sure we’ll sell through.
BIRDS OF PREY #80 – The only issues of this series I’d ever read were the Gilbert Hernandez ones, I’m afraid. Oh, and I watched that TV show…that was just like the comics, right? Okay, okay, actually this comic is doing quite well for us, and people seem to really like it, so I’m glad it’s on the stands and doing well.
BLACK PANTHER #1 LTD ED VARIANT – So far, all of Marvel’s reprin…er, “limited edition variants” have sold very well for us…whether it’s people exciting about the newest popular series and they’re trying to catch up, or if it’s people buying these variants because “they’ll be worth something someday” — we seem to be getting a little bit of both at the store.
BLACK PANTHER #2 – Time to see if all the people who bought the first issue will come back for the second.
BRIAN PULIDOS LADY DEATH SWIMSUIT 2005 – Just when you thought you’d seen the last of these things. What is it with “swimsuit” editions of comics, anyway? When Amazing Heroes did it, it was a showcase of fun and funny art by a wide variety of cartoonists. Now, it’s…well, it’s all so serious and straightfaced…”look how beautiful our strong, independent female character is.” I mean, honestly.
BRIAN PULIDOS LADY DEATH SWIMSUIT GRAVEYARD CVR 2005 – And it wouldn’t be an Avatar/Lady Death book if there wasn’t a variant. Sexy graveyard cover…ask for it by name!
BRIAN PULIDOS LADY DEATH SWIMSUIT WRAPAROUND CVR 2005 – See, it’s ironic, since the swimsuit barely wraps around her! Ha! Now that’s comedy!
BRIAN PULIDOS UNHOLY ADRIAN CVR #2 – Girls ‘n’ guns…what, in an Avatar book? The devil you say!
BRIAN PULIDOS UNHOLY WRAPAROUND CVR #2 – “Unholy wraparound, Batman!”
CABLE DEADPOOL #13 – So are people buying this book for the Cable, are they buying it for the Deadpool, or are they buying it for the wacky interplay between the two characters? (My vote’s for Deadpool.)
CAPTAIN AMERICA #4 – So not long ago a brief internet brouhaha erupted over the fact that Captain America defended the French, which, as you might imagine, went over quite well with the kind of people who thought “Freedom Fries” was a good idea. I wonder how well this issue is going to sell, considering there are plenty of people out there looking for more reasons to get upset about stupid things that don’t matter. (WARNING if you click on that link: like most comment sections attached to posts of a political nature, the signal-to-noise ratio is pretty bad.)
CATWOMAN #41 – Sales on this book bumped up when Paul Gulacy took over the art chores, and now that’s he’s off, sales are way down. Shame, really, because for the most part Catwoman has been (surprise surprise, considering the previous series) a quality book.
CVO COVERT VAMPIRIC OPERATIONS ROGUE STATE #5 – Here’s one of the main reasons why I’m not doing this “every new comics overview” again after this week…I already said everything I had to say about this title last time, and I can’t come up with anything else. Well, I suppose I could say the cover of this issue reminded me a little of Kelley Jones’ work.
DIGITAL WEBBING PRESENTS #21 – All Zombie Issue! Bernie Wrightson cover (can’t tell if it’s brand new or an old sketch of his), plus it has the story “Citizen Zombie” by Eric Powell, so you Goon fans take note.
DONALD DUCK AND FRIENDS #326 – Still selling…not great, but not too badly either. Primarily to older fans, but some kids are picking them up, too.
EX MACHINA #9 – I think what I like best about the flashbacks in this series is that “The Great Machine’s” superhero costume looks just as ridiculous as such a costume would look in real life. Oh, and that bit of business in the story about left-handers being forced into right-handedness…that happened to one of my grandmas. Could have happened to me, too, as a lefty myself, if they hadn’t put an end to that nonsense. As it is, I use scissors with my right hand now since, as a kid, the only lefty scissors the schools ever had were those snub-nosed ones with the rubber-covered handles which invariably sucked. Well, that went on a tangent, didn’t it?
EXILES #61 – Tying into the Age of Apocalypse series hasn’t bumped up sales on these most recent issues, unfortunately. Maybe if the AoA “10th Anniversary” logo was slightly larger….
(EDIT – forgot one!): FANTASTIC FOUR FOES #3 – You know, we really don’t see enough of the Super Skrull any more. It’s nice to have him back again.
FATHOM #0 – Haven’t we had a Fathom #0 before? After all the 1/2s and 500s and 1,000,000 and “Big Ted’s Comics Emporium Special Limited Edition Foil Variant Fathom #0 (only 15,000 printed),” I can’t keep track anymore.
FREEDOM FORCE #3 – “Hey, remember us? We were the superhero computer game until that Johnny-come-lately City of Heroes popped up!”
GI JOE MASTER & APPRENTICE VOL II BRASE CVR B #2 – G.I. Joe is just one of those comics that does nothing for me. That’s a big sword on the cover, though.
GI JOE MASTER & APPRENTICE VOL II UDON CVR A #2 – Okay, you found me out, I got nothing. Here, go learn about the Elephant Bird…put your internet time to some good use, for once.
HOPELESS SAVAGES B-SIDES ALL FLASHBACK SP ONE SHOT – It’s always so weird to see references to “b-sides” — it’s right up there with “rewind the tape” or “dial the phone” in the “English phrases racing to obsolescence” challenge. Yeah, I know, that says nothing about the comic itself…it’s as charming and appealing as ever. Good stuff, sez I.
HUMAN RACE #1 – “Superhero adventure like you’ve never seen before!” it says across the top of the front cover…which is true, because a quick glance inside makes it look like a sci-fi adventure comic. I suppose DC is hedging its bets by trying to move it as a superhero book, to play it safe.
HUMAN TARGET #20 – Shame this series is on the chopping block, as it does okay, not great, for us…and the trades don’t do badly either.
I HUNT MONSTERS VOL 2 #3 – Don’t have much to say about this comic, but I’ll point you to the preview on this page, where you can read it and leave a comment of your own right here (please use blue or black ink): _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
INCREDIBLE HULK #79 – I’m liking the story so far, but either word hasn’t gotten around that Peter David is back on the book, or people have given up on the idea of a Hulk comic altogether, as sales have increased only slightly.
INVINCIBLE #21 – Didn’t look inside…I’m killing the comics industry by only buying this in trades, so I’m trying to avoid looking at the single issues.
JACK SPADE & TONY TWO FIST #1 – Bad-ass beer-chugging penguin. There, now you have to see it, don’t you?
JLA #112 – Still liking the Crime Syndicate stuff, still not really getting into the Qwardian stuff.
LIONS TIGERS & BEARS #2 – Eep. We really screwed up orders on this issue…we didn’t even have enough for employees after pulling for the comic savers. And now it’s on back order from Diamond. Well, that’ll learn us.
LOVE & ROCKETS VOL 2 #13 – L&R is great and nutty, as usual…but I swear, that all-black cover picks up every possible fingerprint and dust mite and what have you. Also, I need to get our store added to that retailer map…I mean, we were the first store in the universe to carry the original self-published L&R, so we really should be on there! (And yes, I do have a copy of that original edition…I think there’s one page in there that has never been reprinted anywhere.)
LUCIFER #60 – This is one of those Vertigo titles where we can’t keep the trades in stock. They sell amazingly well…I swear I’m having to call in reorders on these things every week.
LULLABY WISDOM SEEKER #1 – I feel absolutely no urge whatsoever to discuss this book, or even crack open the cover, for some strange reason.
MANHUNTER #8 – The cover on this issue reminds me a bit of this cover.
MARVEL KNIGHTS 4 #16 – Pal Dorian’s not talking about funnybooks this week, so I’m going to steal his observation…if you’re going to do a “harder edged,” continuity-light Fantastic Four comic presumably aimed at potential (and, as past performace has shown, mostly theoretical) new audiences brought in by the forthcoming movie, what three characters should you probably avoid using? Yes, that’s right, Rama-Tut, Valeria, and Reed Richard’s dimension-hopping pop. Guess who’s in this issue?
MICKEY MOUSE AND FRIENDS #275 – You’d think a comic book starring freakin’ Mickey Mouse wouldn’t be a hard-sell, but we’ve had to cut our orders on this so low that we might as well not be ordering it at all. However (as usual), after months of not selling, suddenly we’ve experienced slightly increased demand for the title. But only slightly…and this is after several issues of this series just gathering dust.
NEXT EXIT #3 – I tried to come up with something to say about this comic…paged through it several times, even asked pal Dorian to contribute something about it…but no dice. It’s manga-esque, it’s in black and white, it has staples. I’m sorry…I’m sure it’s good, and it has its fans, but it didn’t really make any impact on me.
NOBLE CAUSES #8 – This comic has a real Astro City feel to it…it’s probably one of those comics I should have been reading from the beginning, as it generally looks interesting.
100 GIRLS #4 – This is going to sell well as a trade, I think. The single issues have a small but loyal following at the shop, and the cartooning inside is appealing.
PANZER 1946 #5 – A quick flip through the comic gives me this impression: Girls, tanks, Nazis, planes, more Nazis, more planes.
PLASTIC MAN #15 – Sometimes you can just smell the scent of certain doom on some comics, can’t you? The solicitation information tells you nothing, the book is a Big Two title that’s bimonthly, it’s actually good…all signs of impending cancellation. Oh, and this issue is the first “to be continued” story this series has seen in quite a while.
POISON ELVES HYENA #4 – Sells well to the fantasy role play gamers who don’t otherwise read a lot of comics.
POWERPUFF GIRLS #60 – An interesting gimmick…the story features puzzles and brainteasers integrated into the narrative.
PVP #15 – I’m not much of a PVP fan, but it does get the occasional laugh out of me. Unfortunately, I hate hate hate this sideways format. The damn thing always flops off the shelves if someone as much as breathes too hard within the general area of the comic rack. Just print the strips a little smaller (it’s not as if there’s a lot of detail that’ll get lost), print them three to a page, and release the comic in the more traditional format. (EDIT: Commenter Dan informs me that PVP is indeed going back to the traditional format. Kudos all around!)
QUESTION #5 – I think I like the idea that no one in the DC Universe really likes the Question all that much. Is this consistent with his characterization in the O’Neill series?
SABRINA VOL 2 #65 – Has making this comic manga-style tricked any kids anywhere into buying this comic? Hasn’t really worked all that well here yet.
SHAOLIN COWBOY #2 – Don’t worry, there’s no 14-page-long panel in this issue. it’s still another visual masterpiece by Geof Darrow. Oh, and there’s a full-page ad for the forthcoming V for Vendetta movie in the back. That movie’s not going to be any good, is it?
SHAOLIN COWBOY ALT CVR #2 – I think I saw this cover for about a second before someone bought it. I couldn’t tell you what it looked like if my life depended on it.
SIMPSONS COMICS #104 – John Costanza, letterer supreme, pencils this issue. He’s a fine cartoonist, and I wish we could see more of his work.
SPACE GHOST #5 – See, it’s funny because it looks like Zorak is going to cram that scepter-thingie right up…well, anyway.
SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED #8 – Of the main Spidey titles, this one sells the most poorly…I think even the Marvel Adventures Spider-title sells better.
STAR WARS GENERAL GRIEVOUS #1 – I was completely convinced that for all the hype over this General Grievous character, we were only going to see him for a brief moment in the actual movie. You know, how Lucasfilm tried to make “Aurra Sing” from Episode I into the new Boba Fett, only to find out that, oops, practically no one gave a rat’s butt. I’m still encountering people who weren’t even aware that Aurra was in the first film. Hell, the E.T.s got more screen time than she did. Er, anyway, I guess Grievous is more of a major presence in this film, so, um, never mind.
STORMBREAKER SAGA OF BETA RAY BILL #3 – Beautiful cover on this book…it’s designed after this John Buscema cover, but it’s still darn eye-catching.
SUPERFIST AYUMI #3 – Hey, I’m a live and let live kinda guy…if you’re into this sort of naughty book, that’s fine with me. But it’s still, you know, kind of peculiar.
TEEN TITANS #22 – That darn Legion/Titans crossover sucked me into this title, along with the “Future Titans” storyline that immediately followed. Crud. Anyway, Dr. Light pops up in this issue, fresh from that feel-good hit Identity Crisis, and, creepily enough, there are very brief moments where he’s almost sympathetic in this story. He’s a very bad person that has done unforgivable things, but has had unforgivable things done to him as well…a nice moral grey area for the heroes to be stuck in.
UDON DARKSTALKERS ALVIN LEE CVR A #4 – This is the cover with the girls, so it’ll be the one that sells the best.
UDON DARKSTALKERS JOE VRIENS CVR B #4 – I hate to sound like a broken record, but I really don’t like it when Diamond invoices titles like this. It should go under “D” — “D”!
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #74 – Say what you will about this book…but it’s nice to see a creative team remain more or less consistent on a comic for this long. Has Bagley missed any issues of this series?
ULTIMATE X-MEN #57 – Pal Dorian and I have been noticing a slight decline in sales for the Ultimate Spidey and Ultimate X-Men books…even the trades have slowed to almost no movement. The bloom may be coming off the rose.
ULTIMATES 2 #4 – Oh, good, three Ultimate titles in one week. This issue of Ultimates finally starts getting down to business regarding Thor and his origins: either he’s nuts and just thinks he’s the God of Thunder, or he really is the honest-to-goodness Thor. His origin, as related in this issue, explicitly states that it’s one of those options, but I’m still thinking it’s going to turn out the other option will be the truth.
ULTRA #8 – Another low key superhero title (similar to Astro City or Invincible) that I probably should have paid more attention to from the start. Ah, well, there’s always the trade!
UNCANNY X-MEN #457 – I keep noting that I really enjoy Alan Davis’ work on this title, and I’m probably the one person on the planet that likes his redesign for Marvel Girl. But, no, I really don’t have any other incentive to read any more Claremont X-Men.
WILD GIRL #5 – Is anyone else reading this comic? (I mean, aside from pal Dorian.)
WOLVERINE #26 – Well, the John Romita Jr. art is pretty.
WOLVERINE SILVESTRI VARIANT CVR #26 – Wolverine choking Nick Fury while falling from a plane, and Fury pressing guns against Wolvie’s temples. This is a fetish for someone.
WONDER WOMAN #214 – Hey, who got Flash subplots in my Wonder Woman com…oh, never mind. Oh, and this issue and the first Flash part of the crossover are sold out from DC, apparently.
X-MEN AGE OF APOCALYPSE #3 – Maybe making this weekly wasn’t such a good idea. Sales have slowed down a bit…but I still think this will do well as a back issue for some time to come.
YOUNG AVENGERS #1 DIRECTORS CUT – I really wish Marvel would either 1) cut these out, or 2) just make these the initial edition.
YOUNG AVENGERS #2 – I’ve said it before…this is actually a pretty good book. Yes, you have to get around names like “Hulkling,” but it all works in context, I swear.
***
Okay, that’s that. Back to reasonably shorter new comics day overviews next week.
Oh, and Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!
