In which Mike doesn’t learn from history.
Why didn’t you stop me? Why? Because you demanded it, and I wasn’t smart enough to say “no,” I once again take a look at every regular plain ol’ funnybook that darkened our doorstep this Wednesday. Like before, these are just the comics…no graphic novels, magazines, or manga. No [cite] tags, either. Also as before, due to the vagaries of distribution, some books on this list may not be available in your area, and some books available at your local shop may not have made it to our distribution center yet.
A1 SPECIAL BRICKTOP CON ED – This comic (the non-variant version, anyway) has sold fairly well, particularly since there’s no logo on the front cover. Glenn Fabry sells comics!
AFTERMATH DEFEX #5 – So there’s Marv Wolfman! Nice cartoony art by the Cossin Brothers.
ANGRY YOUTH COMIX #8 – It seems to me that I probably would have liked this comic a lot more when I was in my early 20s, when I was more into this kind of angry/tasteless/over-the-top kind of cartooning. Just not into it anymore, I guess, now that I’m a creaky-boned senior citizen.
AP HOW TO DRAW MANGA NEXT GENERATION #2 – QUIT INVOICING THIS UNDER “AP!” Um, ahem, sorry about that.
ARANA HEART OF THE SPIDER #2 – Points to Marvel for trying, I suppose, but it doesn’t appear to be attracting the hoped-for new audience. Sells okay to the same people who have always bought Marvel Comics, though.
ARCHIE #555 – There’s a security camera joke on the cover of this issue…it’s not really untimely, but just by virtue of being on the cover of an Archie comic, that makes it seem outdated.
ARTBABE PRESENTS LA PERDIDA #5 – I expect this to sell well as a trade, when it eventually comes out in one.
CAPTAIN AMERICA & THE FALCON #13 – I’ve been enjoying looking back at Cap and the Falcon funnybooks of the ’70s, but this series doesn’t seem to be as much goofy fun. That said, it’s not too bad as your standard issue superhero comics go.
CASEFILES SAM & TWITCH #14 – Now, in this Shadow series, there was a character named “Twitch,” if I recall correctly, who looked kinda/sorta like the Twitch from the Spawn series. Just sayin’, is all.
CITY OF HEROES #10 – actually seems to sell okay, even to people who don’t play the accompanying computer game. It actually doesn’t look that bad, given the video game origins.
CVO COVERT VAMPIRIC OPERATIONS ROGUE STATE #4 – “Vampire CIA agents” is pretty much the definition of “high concept,” don’t you think?
DARKNESS #19 – Actually still sells okay for us…the back issues no longer move as quickly as they used to, either for this series or the previous one.
DEADSHOT #4 – Had I known ahead of time that this comic was going to be filled with violence and perversion, I probably would have been reading it from the beginning. Oh, if only there were some kind of website out there somewhere that could have let me know.
DETECTIVE COMICS #804 – I do like the fact that DC is attempting to treat this as the anthology title that this used to be, by plugging in a non-Batman back-up. Too bad the price point had to go up.
DOCTOR SPECTRUM #5 – I have people on my comic saver lists who want Supreme Power, but don’t want this spin-off. Huh.
EXILES #60 – Ties into the Age of Apocalypse mini-series! Pal Dorian sez “read this first!”
FALLEN ANGEL #19 – Sigh…apparently this series isn’t long for this world, though it’s nice to see Peter David and George Perez’s characters Sachs & Violens pop up again. David hints that all is not lost, however.
FIRESTORM #11 – The longtime Firestorm fans will finally be happy with this series, I think. Of course, I think it’s been pretty darn good this whole time.
GI JOE RELOADED #13 – I am just old enough to have missed the whole “new” G.I. Joe cartoons and comics from the early ’80s, so this G.I. Joe nostalgia thing (along with the Transformers one) is passing me by entirely. Besides, these are G.I. Joes, my friend.
GOLD DIGGER #61 – I can’t believe this comic is still going after all these years, and it still sells. More power to it.
HELL HOUSE VOL 2 – Okay, it’s actually invoiced as a trade paperback, but it looks like a comic book to me. It straddles that fine line, particularly with a $7.49 price point. Dorian says it does look good, but he’s waiting for the trade…but what if this is the trade?
HOT MOMS #5 – If there’s one thing I appreciate about Fantagraphics’ Eros line, it’s the very straightforward way each Eros book caters to a particular fetish. “Say, good sir, have you any comics with hot moms in them?” “Why, as a matter o’fact, I do indeed have this copy of Hot Moms, fresh off the printing press!” “Huzzah!”
HUMANKIND #5 – I don’t really have anything to say about this comic, so here’s a link to the FAQ of a writer who isn’t the comic book artist Tony Daniel.
INTIMATES #5 – The “Hivejournal.com” noted on the cover takes you to Newsarama. Really, try it out. (I hope this isn’t old news.)
JACK HUNTER GI SPY PREVIEW – I like the $1.99 price point on this, and unlike most preview comics, it actually gives you a readable story. It’s more like a #0 than a preview, I guess. Looks pretty good…here’s the official site.
JOHN CONSTANTINE HELLBLAZER SPECIAL PAPA MIDNITE #2 – Unfortunately, I think the window of opportunity for selling extra Hellblazer/Constantine stuff to people who weren’t already reading the comics has passed. Luckily, it’s a good comic, so we longtime fans can appreciate it.
JUSTICE LEAGUE ELITE #9 – Now, I liked Joe Kelly’s run on JLA a lot more when I sat down and read the whole thing in a relatively short period of time. Subtle plot points that could easily be forgotten from month to month of reading, well, too many comics, were suddenly seen to build over consecutive issues. Not a perfect run, but a lot better than I remembered it as being (though, as Dorian has said to me when I told him this, it may just look better in comparison to what came after). Anyway, my point being that I’ll probably get the trade paperback of this, as I’m sure it’ll read better in that format.
JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #7 – I know how much like a reactionary comics fan this is going to make me sound like, but isn’t it a weird that DC had to go out of its way to make a Justice League comic that’ll appeal to kids?
KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE #100 – A hundred issues? Really? Despite the rather…utilitarian art style, it’s generally well-written and very funny.
LEGEND #1 – While this is Howard Chaykin and Russ Heath doing their take on Philip Wylie’s Gladiator, and it’s really good…it’s still $5.95 for a staplebound comic.
LEX LUTHOR MAN OF STEEL #1 – Very dark, very unlike your standard Superman comic…very good as well. Luthor comes across as slightly sympathetic and menacing.
LOONEY TUNES #124 – There are just some comics that should always be around…there should always be a Superman comic, there should always be Disney comics, and there should always be Looney Tunes comics. (I wonder if we’ll get a Loonatics comic.) And, hey, bondage cover!
LUNAR LIZARD #1 – A fun kids-friendly comic, with a super-intelligent lizard scientist and his monkey pal. This issue is dedicated to Burt Reynolds. What, you need more reasons to pick it up? Check out the official site.
MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN #1 – Now that you’ve got people used to the “Marvel Age” brand, what’s the use in changing it to “Marvel Adventures” now? (Though, like Dorian said, it’s to ride the success of DC’s “Adventures” comics.)
MARVEL TEAM-UP #6 – I’m always shocked when Marvel actually, willingly, removes Spider-Man, even temporarily, from a comic that traditionally is a Spider-Man title.
METAL GEAR SOLID #6 – This started off slow for us, but now it’s selling fairly steadily, both as a new issue and as a back issue.
NODWICK #27 – I’ve been trying to think of something to say about this comic. Gamers like it, which is nice. Here, check out the online strip.
THE NORM MAGAZINE #7 – for some reason, this is the comic I most associate with pal Tom. He kinda looks like The Norm, a bit.
OCTAVIA #3 – Very softly rendered buxom women running around doing fantasy adventure things…I get a strong ’70s vibe from it, and I don’t mean that in a bad way.
PANZER 1946 #4 – I realize this is an “alternate history” comic, but still, the whole “look at the cool Nazi planes” angle is just a tad unsettling.
PER SKIN PAR SOUL – The front cover disturbs me. Like, a lot. And I’m not even sure what I’m looking at.
RAZORS EDGE WARBLADE #5 – This is a surprisingly downbeat and depressing series. It’s a long way from those bright-eyed happy-go-lucky Jim Lee WildC.A.T.s days.
RISING STARS #24 – after all these years…finally over! Now everyone can stop asking me about it! (“Hey, when’s #25 coming out?” “AAAAGH!”)
SEVENTH SHRINE #1 – When I showed this to Dorian, that it was not a comic, but text with illustrations, his exact words were “oh, for f***’s sake.” And I agree…these things are always hard sells.
SHANNA THE SHE DEVIL #2 – Why did Marvel even bother with being coy with this comic? The kind of person inclined to complain about this sort of thing will complain anyway, whether or not the art has been altered to cover up all the nudity. It’s almost like a game, flipping through the book and trying to point out where all the art changes were made.
SOULSEARCHERS & CO. #70 – Hey, Peter David fans! You know he’s writing this comic, right? And this is a special “Jump on!” issue, too, so what are you waiting for?
STARGATE SG1 DANIELS SONG #1 – Oh, dear. Avatar likes their multiple covers, don’t they?
STARGATE SG1 DANIELS SONG PHOTO CVR #1 – See? Here’s a photo cover cobbled together from whatever publicity stills the Stargate people sent Avatar’s way.
STARGATE SG1 DANIELS SONG PLAT FOIL INCENTIVE #1 – Just like the regular cover, but with silver foil on the logo and a higher price point. Oh, and a polybag.
STARGATE SG1 DANIELS SONG WRAPAROUND CVR #1 – In case you’re wondering, these do sell for us, so I’m not complaining, really.
SUPERMAN STRENGTH #3 – The wrap-up to this fun mini-series…some of you were turned off by the art, I know, but I swear to you, the art is perfect for Scott McCloud’s story. And, as I’ve mentioned before, some of these layouts are pure McCloud.
SWAMP THING #13 – I barely count this as a comic for this week, as I always bogart the preview copy from the week before. Hey, let me have my one perk.
30 DAYS OF NIGHT BLOODSUCKERS TALES #5 – I don’t mean this as a slam at the quality of this comic, which, while not aimed at me really, seems to be fine. But is it just me, or did demand for 30 Days drop once the “hot collectible” aspect of this comic dried up?
TOE TAGS FEATURING GEORGE ROMERO #6 – A zombie comic by George Romero should sell like gangbusters…it sells okay for us, but really, you’d think something like this would be huge.
TOP COW 2005 PREVIEW BOOK – At least it’s only 99 cents. Okay, that’s unfair. I suppose it’s neat if you’re a Top Cow fan.
TWILIGHT EXPERIMENT #2 – This was a comic that people seems to be interested in before it came out, but now isn’t selling for us. I hate when that happens.
ULTIMATE IRON MAN #1 – What a surprise to find this comic opening with the marriage of Tony Stark and Happy Hogan! Oh, okay, not really.
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #73 – I was going to make a snarky comment about “hey, finally, a cover on an Ultimate comic that sort of reflects the actual contents,” but a look at the series seems to show about a 50/50 split on content reflecting vs. Spidey just sorta hanging around.
VERONICA #159 – I don’t care what they put in this comic, there’s no way it can compete with the Archie comics of yesteryear. And how is Veronica talking on a cell phone in space? (Unless she’s touching the phone to her space helmet, and the sound vibrations of her voice are…oh forget it.)
VICTORIAN #25 (Of 25) – Was this intended as a 25-issue mini-series? I didn’t read it, so I don’t know. But I’m glad they were able to finish the story…so many indies start off with high hopes and big plans, and vanish immediately.
WALKING DEAD #16 – How close are we to a Deadworld revival?
X-MEN AGE OF APOCALYPSE #1 – Given that, all these years later, we’re still selling back issues on the original Age of Apocalypse comics, I imagined that this would sell really well…and it certainly has.
X-MEN AGE OF APOCALYPSE ONE SHOT – I really wish this didn’t come out at the same time as the #1. Read this before the mini-series, but after Exiles #60.
X-MEN FANTASTIC FOUR #4 – This series actually sold pretty well for us, which surprised the heck out of me.
ZEN BOUNTY HUNTER #1 – Somewhere out there is the World’s Biggest Zen Intergalactic Ninja Fan, who owns every issue and every variant cover of every incarnation of this series. Perhaps it’s the same person who used to pop up on the America Online comics board all those years ago and shamelessly shill for each new issue of Zen as it came out.
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Ack. No guarantees that I’ll do this again next week…we’ll see if I have the time and/or patience for it!
