Mike Sterling's Progressive RuinThe reason cows are out of season since 1969

§ December 21st, 2004 § Filed under Uncategorized Comments Off on

Hokey smokes, I’ve had a handful of people link to my little contest: big thanks to Ken at Ringwood, Johanna at Cognitive Dissonance, David at Precocious Curmudgeon, Bill Sherman at Pop Culture Gadabout, Dave at Yet Another Comics Blog, Jog, Jason at Trickle of Consciousness, pal Ian at Brill Building, Steve at Gutterninja, Kung Pow Pig, H at the Comic Treadmill, and Laura at Bloggity-Blog-Blog-Blog. And pal Dorian begrudingly links to the contest as well. Beaucoup Kevin also links, and has a contest of his own, so go check it out!

If I missed anybody, let me know, and I’ll add you to the list.

And now, A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! Ken Lowery has graciously offered to donate two more copies of Swamp Thing: Bad Seed to the cause, making a total of three copies to be given away in my contest! So, please, if you haven’t entered yet, you have until the 31st of this month to do so.

And now, some brief looks at goodies from last week:

The first volume of Dark Horse’s Little Lulu reprint series is absolutely wonderful. As always, whenever I get a black and white reprint of something that was originally in color, there’s a little tiny anal-retentive part of my mind that wonders if the lack of color will detract from the stories…and of course, it doesn’t. This is classic stuff; funny, witty, and silly in all the appropriate amounts, and thank goodness Dark Horse is publishing it in a format that’s affordable and easily accessible. (Now if only someone would do nice reprint collections of Herbie….)

Zippy the Pinhead: From Here to Absurdity collects another year’s worth of Bill Griffith’s strips, organized thematically rather than chronologically (a nice touch that I’m sure most other strips couldn’t get away with), plus footnotes. I’ve been a big fan of Zippy for many years, though I’ve only ever been able to read the strip in reprint form. The only time I’ve seen the strip in the “wild” locally was in a weekly paper, but that was years ago. I have a hard time picturing Zippy squeezed between Drabble and Tumbleweeds on your regular comics page, given that Griffith’s work would come as a fairly surprising contrast to an audience accustomed to fat cats making jokes about lasagna. It’s fine work, still entertaining and challenging after all these years.

Madrox #4 – yes, after Zippy and Lulu, I’m gonna talk about an X-Men spin-off book. Actually, all I wanted to mention was that this is probably the first time that I’ve noticed just how downright creepy Madrox’s power really is. You get a shot or two of some of his duplicates in the process of reabsorbtion…distended, distorted, being pulled back into his body (in at least one case, unwillingly). It’s downright grotesque…and it’s yet another permuation in Peter David’s ongoing reinvention of the character. The actual “hard-boiled detective” aspect of the story is fun as well, providing an entertaining framework for the exploration of Madrox’s abilites.

The big Swamp Thing giveaway!

§ December 20th, 2004 § Filed under Uncategorized Comments Off on The big Swamp Thing giveaway!

Yes, it’s this little website’s very first contest, and, it should come as a surprise to absolutely no one, it’s for a Swamp Thing book! In particular, it’s for Swamp Thing: Bad Seed by Andy Diggle and Enrique Breccia, collecting the first six issues of the current series and setting up the character’s new status quo.



If you want to enter, all you have to do is send an e-mail to contest (at) progressiveruin.com telling me, in 25 words or less, why you, yes, you, would like to have a copy of Swamp Thing: Bad Seed. I will pick one winner, either by choosing the entry I like the most, or, if I’m too wishy-washy to narrow it down to one winner, by a random drawing. You have until Friday, December 31st, 2004, to enter, and results will be posted, hopefully, in the first week of the new year.

EDIT: 12/21: Ken at Ringwood has agreed to donate two more copies of Swamp Thing: Bad Seed for the giveaway!

Some rules and notes:

1. This contest is not associated with DC Comics, Warner Brothers, Diamond Comics, my employer, or your mom.

2. One entry per person, please.

3. This contest is not open to my fellow members of the Associated Comics And Pop Culture Webloggers of Ventura County, CA And Outlying Environs, because if one of them did win, well, how would that look?

4. If you are a winner and you live outside the U.S., the book will be shipped by air mail, but I am not responsible for any import taxes or whatnot. Item will be declared as a “gift,” with a value of $9.95.

5. Don’t send me your shipping address with your entry…if you’re a winner, I’ll contact you for your information.

6. By entering, you hereby agree not to complain if you don’t win.

7. I will reproduce the winning entry (or entries) on this site, unless you specifically ask me not to do so.

So there you go…to sum up: 25 words or less telling me why you want the Swamp Thing: Bad Seed trade paperback, sent to contest (at) progressiveruin.com, on or before Friday, December 31st, 2004. So, get cracking!

Other contest-type thingies you should be aware of:

Dave at Yet Another Comics Blog is holding a matching-funds pledge drive for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund…not really a contest, but it is a worthy cause.

Johanna at Cognitive Dissonance is running a contest for a copy of the amusing graphic novel Owly (and for a copy of the mini-comic as well), details of which you can find right here.

§ December 19th, 2004 § Filed under Uncategorized Comments Off on

Alas, I am short on weblogging time today, so all I’m gonna do is point you in the direction of an overview of last night’s Justice League Unlimited. It’s a pretty good look at the episode, though their history of Vixen is slightly garbled, I believe. Vixen was planned as part of the “DC Explosion” in the ’70s, and her first completed issue ended up not getting published due to the “DC Implosion,” except in the in-house Cancelled Comic Cavalcade. The character finally made her first appearance, teaming up with Superman in Action Comics #521 in 1981, a few years after the “Implosion.” The TV Tome description describes the Implosion as occurring after the Action Comics appearance, which isn’t what happened. Yeah, it’s a nitpick, but I thought I’d point it out.

I am glad that TV Tome took a little more detailed look at the chess games being played in this episode…I figured that the animators took a few liberties with the board’s set-up.

And yes, I wasn’t imagining things…there was a Swamp Thing cameo (in the form of a poster) in this episode.

In other news:

Go visit pal Nat’s music weblog, Wired for Sound. It’s swell!

EDIT: Remember kids…closed HTML tags are your friends!

§ December 18th, 2004 § Filed under Uncategorized Comments Off on

1. “THE WORST COMIC BOOK I EVER BOUGHT WITH MY OWN MONEY” is the title of this eBay auction, and, yes, it’s one of the classic stinker comics. Of course, there’s no way he’s going to get $50,000 for it (well, actually, $49,232.08 after eBay fees)…maybe if he got it CGCed.

2. Todd McFarlane has filed Chapter 11 in bankruptcy court, which I’m sure will bring out plenty of people commenting on his “wasting money” on purchasing record-setting baseballs. Actually, I always thought that was money well-spent…three million dollars on a baseball got him countless millions of dollars’ worth of advertising, in that he was discussed on every radio show, news program, late night talk show, and so on.

Now, you want to talk about Todd McFarlane Productions, Inc. putting money into the wrong thing….

3. Just in case anyone is wondering…“Evilbeard” is an old friend of mine, and he’s just giving me a hard time. He’s not trolling! “Mojo IV” is an old pal as well. I’ll get my revenge on them both later.

4. Dave at Yet Another Comics Blog is offering up $250 in matching donations to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund if 10 other people pitch in $25 apiece. Get the details here.

§ December 18th, 2004 § Filed under I have no idea how to tag this Comments Off on

GALACTUS



Giant alien

May eat your planet, but still

What a rad helmet.

GORILLA GRODD



If a thing exists

Cooler than an ape villain

I don’t want to know.

KRYPTO



A dog in a cape

With heat vision and flight is

Sublime in beauty.

LOCKHEED



Owning a dragon

Would be nifty but also

Still kinda dorky.

Sources:

Galactus from Fantastic Four #173 (Aug 1976) – art by John Buscema & Joe Sinnott

Gorilla Grodd from Who’s Who in The DC Universe #9 (Nov 1985) – art by Carmine Infantino & Bill Sienkiewicz

Krypto from New Adventures of Superboy #22 (Oct 1981) – art by Dave Hunt & Romeo Tanghal

Lockheed from Uncanny X-Men #181 (May 1984) – art by John Romita Jr. & Ron Zalme

§ December 17th, 2004 § Filed under Uncategorized Comments Off on

1. The unsinkable Johanna Draper Carlson has announced a new contest to win a copy of Andy Runton’s Owly. Go enter, won’t you?

2. The online verison of the Wall Street Journal has an interview with American Splendor‘s Harvey Pekar. (via Obscure Store)

3. Here’s a reproduction of a 1953 comic-strip advertisment for the film Invaders from Mars.

4. Tom Spurgeon sends me some linking love on The Comics Reporter, regarding the fantastic beauty of silly ’60s DC comics. Be sure to check out his article for additional super-pet linkage.

5. Thanks to the mighty Scott Saavedra, I am now the proud owner of this piece of artwork. Fan-tastic.

5a. Also prepare to be terrified of Scott’s newest illustration.

§ December 16th, 2004 § Filed under this week's comics Comments Off on

New comics yesterday, I talk about ’em today! SPOILERS AHEAD – I mean it this time! Avert your eyes!

• Well, Good Lord, Identity Crisis #7 is out, and as it turns out, one of my joking theories* about the identity of the killer was, well, sorta on target (except my idea was much sillier). Of course, I didn’t say anything about motivation, which is just barely less than the actual motivation given to the killer. Anyway, if you didn’t like this series, don’t worry; as soon as the inevitable hardcover and softcover collections stop selling, everything that happened in this series will be undone. Sue Dibny: Rebirth, coming in 2008!
• Fantastic Four #521 – here is the discussion pal Dorian and I had last week, after Dorian flipped through the advance copy of this comic:

  D: “So, the new issue of Fantastic Four is using a mostly-forgotten bit of trivia about Galactus as a plot point.”

  M: “That he has some sort of familial relationship with Death?”

  D: “No….”

  M: “That he grows smaller as he grows weaker?”

  D: “No….”

  M: “That he originally came from the universe that precedes the current universe?”

  D: “No….”

  M: “That he’s perceived differently by everyone who sees him?”

  D: “Yeah, that’s the one.”

  M: “Did I disgust you with my Galactus knowledge?”

  D: “No, no…I knew most of that.”

  M: “Well, how ’bout that his real name is Galen? Or that he’s from the planet Taa? Or that his space station was called Taa II?”

  D: “Okay, now I’m disgusted.”

• Girl Genius #13 – each issue of this series just gets better and better…Agatha and Krosp learn more about the peculiar personalities of the circus with which they’re traveling. Lots of fun, and can’t wait for the next issue.
• Plastic Man #13 – Plastic Man takes on the evils of (gasp) File Sharing! Though hardly the prime focus of the issue, it’s still a nice little thumbing of the nose at those scare tactic anti-file sharing ads that have been popping up in the comics lately.
• Deep Fried Vol. 2 #1 – if there’s a comic more filled with wrong fun than Jason Yungbluth’s, I don’t know what it is. Featured terrifying strip: “Ghastly Cash – The Poor Little Rich Ghost!” Yes, it’s another play on the old “Casper is the ghost of Richie Rich” thing, but Yungbluth does it better than you’ve ever seen it.
• Shaolin Cowboy #1 – I didn’t know what Dorian was talking about when he mentioned a 10-page single panel, until I had a chance to look at it myself. He’s right…it’s one panel spread over 10 pages, as drawn by Geof Darrow. I haven’t read it, I have no idea what it’s about (aside from mayhem), but it’s drawn by Darrow in his usual highly-detailed style and looks fantastic.
• Zippy: From Here to Absurdity – another collection of a year’s worth of Zippy the Pinhead strips by Bill Griffith, complete with footnotes. Look for the disturbingly Nancy-esque cover. Always good stuff, though reading a year’s worth of Zippy within a relatively short time is probably not recommended…it kinda affects your perceptions, you know?
• Ocean #3 – the latest issue of the Warren Ellis and Chris Sprouse series, with a scary science fictional idea re: controlling one’s employees that I don’t think I’ve seen before. I also want to note Chris Sprouse’s expressive art…the range of emotions he conveys is impressive.
• Ex Machina #7 – this issue contains probably the most reasonable real-world reaction a person would have upon seeing someone’s “ray gun.” That’s not a euphemism, but, in context, it could very well be. Yeah, I know, I’m being coy for someone shouting about “spoilers” earlier.
• Alter Ego #43 – all I gotta say…El Santo! This issue contains a long article on Mexican comics of the Silver Age, including reprints of American comics as well as original comics produced in that country. No chance to read it yet, but a flip through the issue reveals (as is usual for this magazine) a wide variety of great illustrations.
• Madrox #4 – somehow forgot to get a copy for myself. Gosh darn it.
  

Other new releases, not bought but notable:

• DC Rarities Archives – Oh, dear me, $75.00? I so want this book (reprinting the New York’s World Fair comics and the Big All-American Comic Book), but I really, really, really can’t justify the expense right now. I’m especially frustrated since Big All-American is one of those comics I’ve wanted for years. Ah, well.
• Wizard King Trilogy Book 1 softcover – this collection of Wally Wood’s work is in color and…um, I believe it’s slightly edited. As in some of the nude figures now have had nipples painted away and/or recolored to make them appear as if they’re wearing clothes. A quick Google search reveals that Evan Dorkin has noticed this as well.
• Swamp Thing: Bad Seed TPB – I appreciate DC putting low price tags on the first volumes of their trade paperback lines. Having the first Fables at $9.95 really helps us sell the book. Granted, this particular series of Swamp Thing may be a slightly harder sell, but good on DC for keeping the price down.
• Spider-Man/Doctor Octopus: Year One #5 – did they really drag out a five issue mini-series over most of a year, or am I imagining things? (I’ll have to check the cycle sheets at work and find out).
• Spider-Man: India #2 – we managed to sell a couple of the first issue to people who buy all Marvel #1s. Without that incentive, I don’t imagine we’ll sell any copies of the second issue.
• Krazy & Ignatz in “Necromancy by the Blue Bean Bush” – I have to hand it to Fantagraphics…they put out some handsome comic strip reprints. I don’t think these strips have ever looked better.
  

Other fun on new comics day…having a glitch on our credit card machine wipe out all its programming, so I have to spend the better part of an hour on hold with the card processing company and letting the software download into our machine at 1200 baud. Luckily, this was at the end of the day, and I only ended up having to turn away one credit card customer (a regular, thankfully, so he’ll be back for his goodies later). Still, put that on my list of things not to do on new comics day.

* Thanks to The Comic Treadmill for finding my post for me!

§ December 15th, 2004 § Filed under sir-links-a-lot Comments Off on

1. For some reason, Diamond accidentally shipped us two Galactus statues today. How you’d accidentally ship two huge things like this, I have no idea…but they’re darn cool.

2. How you know you’ve lost control of your own weblog: there are multiple discussions on the virtues of Gorilla Grodd and super-pets going on in my comments sections.

3. I’ll have a more comprehensive overview of new funnybook day tomorrow, but in the meantime…finally, the first Little Lulu volume is out!

§ December 15th, 2004 § Filed under Uncategorized Comments Off on

One of our customers just informed us that he was the Grand Prize Winner in “The Goon‘s Create-A-Monster” contest…you can see the winning entry here.

Also, since he listed us as his retailer, that means we get all the same stuff he gets! Well, except for having our monster in The Goon, but we’ll get all that other swag (signed paperback, shot glasses, etc.) Can’t complain about that!

§ December 14th, 2004 § Filed under Uncategorized Comments Off on

Okay, I have to at least take a brief glance at the new DC Comics solicitations, lest my comics-weblogging license be taken away…plus, I like looking at the DC solicits:

• Batman #638 – the Red Hood revealed! I’m betting it’s Jason Todd. Okay, actually, I’m just hoping it’s Jason Todd.
• Batman: Year One Deluxe Edition HC – okay, as the owner of the original hardcover editon of this book (published back in ’88 at the mindbogglingly low price of $12.95), I’m a little miffed that I’m missing out on some of the extra features this new edition is bringing. Still, though, $19.99 is a really good price for a hardcover…and it is a good story, so if you haven’t read it, I recommend it.
• Lex Luthor: Man of Steel #1 – Brian Azzarello and Lee Berjemo tell the thrilling tale of Lex’s triumphant return to Lexor, the world where Luthor is the beloved hero, and Superman is the despised villain! Teaming up with Kryptonite Man and Terra-Man, Luthor unleashes his most despicable plan yet – and only the Kandorian Superman Emergency Squad can stop him! …Okay, not really, but it’s fun to pretend.
• Blood of the Demon #1 – because I like Will Pfeifer, who is cowriting this comic, I’ll be checking it out.
• DC Countdown #1 – this is DC’s newest series apparently designed to get everyone’s panties in knots, since it doesn’t look too good for the Blue Beetle on the cover, there (or, as pal Dorian has suggested, Max Mercury). Heck, it’s $1.00 for 80 pages…can’t hurt to look, anyway. And you might was well buy it, so that you’re informed for all the related shenanigans in the other DC books for the rest of the year.
• The description of Firestorm #11 contains some slight spoilers regarding the fate of original Firestorm (rather, half of the original), Ronnie Raymond.
• JLA: Pain of the Gods TPB – if you didn’t get a chance to not like it the first time, here’s your opportunity to not like it now!
• Plastic Man #15 – okay, are they just not bothering to ask Kyle Baker what’s going to be in each issue? (Reminds me a bit of Mark Evanier’s story about how, when he was on Blackhawk, the fan press would only list “no information available at press time” for each issue, regardless of whether or not Evanier had provided any info to DC. So, for the last issue of the series, he actually titled the story “No Information Available at Press Time” so at least the coming comics information would be accurate for once.*)
• Otherworld #1 – okay, it’s by Phil Jimenez, so it’ll be entertaining, but this solicitation is, well, almost desperate-sounding:
  

  “An epic maxi-series that combines the dramatic setup and ensemble cast of Lost and Survivor with the fantasy of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and mind-bending technology of The Matrix.”

  “You liked all those things, right? So buy it, already! BUY IT!!!”

• This description for the Humanoids book Fragile made me laugh:
  

  “While on the run from zombie hunters, Alan finds the beautiful but decomposing girl of his dreams. Can they “live” again via an experimental serum?”

  That has to be worth at least a glance.
  

From the DC Direct solicitations:

• If you buy the Flash Vs. Gorilla Grodd statue, sooner or later, you’re going to have to explain to someone why you bought the Flash Vs. Gorilla Grodd statue. It may be to your significant other, it may be to your parents or to your children, to visiting friends, to bosses or coworkers, perhaps even to God Himself when you reach the Pearly Gates — but you’re going to have to explain this eventually. Oh yes.**
• All that goes for the Kingdom Come: Superman, Hawkman, and Red Robin statue as well.
• The Penguin action figure is terrifying. Goodness.
  

* I don’t think this story is in any of Mr. Evanier’s three fine books, and I can’t find it on either of his websites…so I hope I’m getting the details right, and not stepping on any toes by relating it.

** So says the man who owns two Swamp Thing statues.