And now, some answers.
From the comments section of my previous post:
Daniel85: “Do you have a favourite month in comics?”
I suppose if I’d had to to pick one month, it’d be my birth month of March ’69 since I have a comic that was released on that very day.
Gordon: “Is there a comic that you are personally ashamed of having sold? That someone paid good money for, and you knew was less-than-stellar, but for some reason, you never said anything?”
I could go with the cheap, snarky answer — “Anything starring Gambit” — but, no, I’m pretty much live ‘n’ let live with customers’ comics purchasing. If I piped up every time someone was buying something I thought was terrible, we’d never sell any X-Men.
I would have the occasional twinge back in the boom times, when someone would buy, say, 15 copies of the same book…I’d ask “you sure you want this many?” and the reply was always in the affirmative, so, oooookay, thanks for shopping!
Robert: “Any recommendations for TPB’s to pick up? […] I mainly read TPB’s and HC Comic Collections like DC Archives and Marvel Masterworks.”
If you like DC and Marvel’s high-end reprints, you might want to try some of DC’s “themed” reprint books (Crisis on Multiple Earths, with the JLA/JSA team-ups, or the recent Superman Versus Lex Luthor book). If you’re not adverse to black and white, the Essentials and the Showcase volumes are good value.
SanctumSanctorumComix: “Is The End of Civilization coming soon?”
As soon as the new issue of Diamond Previews is out! Usually it’s the Thursday just following its release. (He’s referring to this for any newcomers out there.)
Shane: “Approximately how many comics do you personally own?”
After doing a box count and a rough estimate of about how much each box can hold (an estimate I’m fairly confident about after having counted out 100,000 comics at the shop and stored them in similar boxes), I believe I own about 20,000 comics.
At one point, I was actually trying to keep an exact count of my inventory, but ending up losing track at about 10,000 (as I sold several thousand comics at about that time, and I never got around to subtracting them from the count).
joncormier: “I’ve got the trial for City of Villains and I seem to be blanking on names for some potential characters. Do you think you could help out?”
Wow, I’m terrible at cooking up superhero names. Um, “Chill Pill?” “The Biting Bedbug?” “Menarche?” (Ooh, on second thought, don’t use that one.) “The Vainglorious Bastard?”
Reed Richards: “How would Swamp Thing trisect an angle?”
First he’d grow himself a big ol’ brain to figure it out, then he’d grow a wooden pencil, a wooden compass, and a wooden ruler, then he’d get crackin’.
Also: “How much wood could Swamp Thing chuck, if Swamp Thing could chuck wood?”
Presumably a lot, given his mastery of all plant matter. Though he’d probably just grow and shape it whereever and however he wanted, rather than simply chucking it.
Pal Dorian: “Why do you hate the scene?”
BeaucoupKevin: “Why are you such a scene-hater?”
Because the scene sucks. Have you seen the scene? Blargh.
Bully: “Mike, what’s the first comic you remember getting that inspired the feeling I MUST get the next issue?”
I don’t remember the exact issue, but I’m almost certain it was one of the early issues of Marvel’s Star Wars series that put the bug in me to return to the newstand on a regular basis in order to keep up with the story.
H: “And how about your favorite fanzine of all-time?”
That would be The Comic Reader, which ran from the early ’60s until the early ’80s. A Google search should reveal the number of times I’ve brought it up here!
Derek B. Haas: “On what day of the week did new comics arrive in October, 1982?”
It’s my memory that new comics arrived at comic shops on Friday, though I may be wrong. At newstands and such, at least in my area, the new comics came in on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Milo: “When are you going to post a review of that RUDY IN HOLLYWOOD collection?”
Oops, I said I was going to review it, didn’t I? I suck.
Here’s a quickie review: it’s good. Glad I bought it.
I’ll post a real review in short order. Honest. I mean it.
Erin: “If you only had one day left to live, what favorite comics would you reread before slipping into eternal bliss?”
Hmmm…I’d probably reread my House of Secrets #92, with the first appearance of Swamp Thing…which is going to be buried with me, by the way. I’d also probably want to read an issue of Groo the Wanderer, since I loves me the Groo, and if I’m gonna go, I’m gonna go with a smile on my face.
David Lawson: “Who would win in a fight between Swamp Thing and Metallo if Metallo has a heart of white kryptonite instead of the usual green kryptonite?”
Swamp Thing. Like Superman ever lost just because Metallo had a green Kryptonite heart.
Nik: “What’s the WORST Swamp Thing story you ever read?”
Hmmm…good question. Probably the “Quest of the Elementals” story (which started here). Swell covers, but poorly illustrated within, and the story was no great shakes either.
“What’s the BEST Man-THing story you ever read?”
“The Kid’s Night Out!” from Giant-Size Man-Thing #4. This needs to be reprinted on good paper, and soon, since the paper ’70s Marvels are printed on was halfway to turning to dust even when it was new.
“What’s the ONLY Black Goliath story you ever read?”
Wow, I don’t recall. I’m sure I’ve read at least one issue of his own series.
Buk: “I would love to see a top 10 Graphic Novels, both your favs and one based on what your shop sells.”
Wow, that’s a biggie. I’m going to not bother with the “cite” formatting tags, just to save time.
This is just a guess, mind you, but the store’s top ten may be something like this, in no particular order:
Watchmen
V for Vendetta
Preacher series
Y The Last Man series
Fables series
Love & Rockets (series)
Invisibles series
Kingdom Come
Superman: Red Son
Scott Pilgrim series
I swear we sell independent comics, too.
My own top ten:
Watchmen
From Hell
Mister O
The Cowboy Wally Show
The Book of Jim
Dr. Strange & Dr. Doom: Triumph and Torment (shut up, it’s great)
Don Rosa Archives I & II
Love & Rockets (series)
Hulk/Thing: The Big Change (Wrightson-riffic)
Complete Carl Barks Library (all ten-zillion of them)
“And also I’d love to know if you agree with me that with in what, 18 months, New Avengers has gone completely off the rails and is the worst book Bendis has done.”
Unfortunately, I’m not much of a New Avengers reader, so I couldn’t say. I do flip through the issues as they come in, and I have to say they all sorta look the same to me. I would guess that any change in quality or tone in the book would have more to do with editorial edict to toe the company crossover line than anything else.
Matt: “When were you planning on answering these questions?”
Right now!
Just lurking: “If Man-Thing looked into a mirror for a moment and startled himself, would he burst into flames from the inside out?”
No, because Man-Thing can’t startle himself…he’s an entirely-mindless being, with no emotional responses of his own.
Enargy: “When will all the people asking for a Dr. Strange monthly actually *buy* a Dr. Strange monthly as it’s being published?”
As soon as they do a good one!
