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.
Just so no one's
too offended...I didn't post
that cover yesterday as some kind of blanket mockery of furries. As
pal Dorian and I have discussed amongst ourselves in the past -- of all the fandom "cliques" that exist and that we've dealt with over the years, furries are probably the group that tends to be the most problem-free for us. Nearly all the ones we've encountered have been polite and well-spoken, and just happened to like anthropomorphics. Hey, that's cool with us.
I only posted that cover because it's downright fantastic. As
Will puts it, "when you've got the words 'lesbian' and 'unicorn' on your cover, aren't the words 'extra' and 'special' just redundant?"
Well,
that's a surprise! Just on a whim, I e-mailed Fred Hembeck with my guess as to the "ringer" in his
second "100 Reasons Why I Love Comics"...and
I got it right (under Feb. 12)!
Obnoxio Vs. The X-Men was just one of those oddball funnybooks Marvel published in the early '80s, and my memory was that it was pretty much reviled in the fan press of the time. I didn't remember Fred being the lone voice in the wilderness, singing the book's praises...plus even if you
did like the comic (like, yes, I did), would it really belong on your top 100 list? Just seemed wrong...and it turned out I was right. Way cool.
By the way, I also liked
X-Men and The Micronauts, even though 1) I wasn't reading
X-Men, and 2) I wasn't reading
Micronauts, though I liked the toys. I just enjoy weird takes on established characters, I guess.
One thing I was thinking about as I was watching the new episode of
Justice League Unlimited -- as much as I love Jack Kirby's Fourth World stuff, actually seeing it in animated form makes me realize just how damn
weird it is. I mean,
Vermin Vundebar? The heck? Jack, honestly, what was up with that? I liked Arte Johnson as the voice of Vermin (especially with a certain in-joke (also noted by TV Tome) that made me do a double-take even before I knew Johnson was on the show), and Ed Asner reprising his role as Granny Goodness...well, that's still darn strange.
A couple years ago, I bought a record off of the eBay that I never got a chance to listen to, as it arrived in my mailbox at about the same time I was moving into our new house. I put it aside for when I had time for it...and then, of course, I forgot about it. However, as I was digging through my record collection the other day for another album (Rhino Records'
L.A. In, which pal Nat
makes an oblique reference to), I found that long-lost record. It's
The 1975 San Diego Comic-Con, a recording of interviews with various show guests. Here's the track listing:
SIDE ONE:
1. Opening comment: Ray Bradbury
2. Introduction: Alan Light
3. Ray Bradbury
4. Stan Lee
5. Jack Kirby/Jim Steranko
SIDE TWO:
1. Special interview: Jerry Siegel
2. Chuck Norris
3. June Foray/Daws Butler
4. Robert Bloch
5. Will Eisner/Stan Lee
6. Close: Alan Light
Intriguing, no? I'll give it a spin when I have time later in the next couple of weeks (hopefully), and file a full report right here. Watch this space!
But first, this commercial message....
Speaking of the eBay, he said segue-ingly, feel free to pop in on our shop's
auction listings! New items added every week: comics, books, toys, and, right now, for some reason, jazz CDs. Don't ask. Anyway, my promise to you: any items purchased from our auctions (or indeed, just straight from the shop...send me your want lists!) will be lovingly processed, packaged, and hand-addressed by yours truly. Bid early, bid often!
And we're back. Just so I don't feel like a completely shameless huckster, let me also point you in the direction of Jolly Johanna's
list of sale and trade items. Lots of fine stuff there, and she has a want list of goodies you can offer her in trade.
