November 20, 2002
Each week, Diamond Comics posts the New Comics Release List -- a weekly list of comics coming to a store near you this Wednesday.
Here, we have a snapshot of comics as they truly are, in all their Glory and their Gory.
LEGAL DISCLAIMER
The opinions contained within do not reflect those of Kevin Smith or any other member of the Movie Poop Shoot staff -- past, present or future -- including possibly the author's own, and should not be taken too seriously.
Well, it’s official -- as widely reported, Stan Lee is suing Marvel Comics for 10 million dollars pursuant to the contract he entered into in 1998, based on Marvel’s failure to share profits from the SPIDER-MAN movie, which movie was the highest-grossing film of the year so far, I believe.
Litigation is only a nightmare (my day today was like a shitty BROADCAST NEWS outtake), so I wish the Man well. It’s a shame this is how he has to spend these years, at a time when all of his co-creations are becoming movies.
I’m disinterested in the story as a symbol of “What’s Wrong with Comics/Marvel/Etc.” I can understand people who see it that way; they have a valid argument. Still, when money’s at stake, people sue each other. Entertainment industries, especially. The human story is so compelling -- the guy suing the company he helped build, thoughts of the artists oftentimes more important to the creation of the Marvel characters who never profited the way Stan did and still rarely receive the credit they deserve, etc -- that there’s a natural impulse to turn it into opera. Maybe it is opera. We’ll see where it goes, I suppose.
On the other hand, the recent victory in the appeal court of Joe Simon in his lawsuit over CAPTAIN AMERICA should make life interesting pretty soon. So… fans of the LAW should be really excited pretty soon. Wheee…
INTRODUCTION
Quick rave before we start things off for Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller's LIVE FROM NEW YORK: AN UNCENSORED HISTORY OF SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE.
I am so enjoying this book -- huge recommendation for any fans of the comedy. It's a terrific, terrific oral history of SNL.
Oral history -- I've never seen an oral history in comics, despite all these comic book Web sites, despite all the people writing about comics. I know I always thought the JLI would make for a fun oral history, especially now with them doing a reunion series. Anyway, for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, in an oral history, the author of the book almost never interjects their own commentary. They interview everyone imaginable about a given topic, and then edit together the eyewitness stories from those people to connect into a story. For entertainment subjects, like SNL, the result is often better -- easier to read, faster to read, more interesting -- than plain nonfiction text might be.
For examples, an oral history of comics history might go something like ...
Paul Levitz: And the best part was I had the perfect alibi.
Jim Shooter: Sure, Levitz got away scott-free. It reminded me of when I used to run Valiant.
Howard Chaykin: After Levitz found his pants, we went to Canters for a sandwich. Levitz was always hitting on the waitresses there. A half-hour later, Keith Giffen shows up -- I heard later he'd given too much blood that day. Or maybe he was on mescaline. He kept yelling about how TRENCHER was the biggest comic in 1949, and Joe Simon ripped him off.
Mike Richardson: Anyone want to buy a t-shirt with a photo of Bettie Page on it?
Keith Giffen: What's with Howard Chaykin and the lingerie fetish? Or worse, the talking cats? Has Chaykin ever done a comic with a talking cat in lingerie? Look, there’s a reason why TRENCHER’s widely remembered as the greatest comic ever, okay?
Bob Layton: I remember when I used to run Valiant --
Terry Moore: I saw the whole thing. Chaykin's a little liar -- Levitz never found his pants. That guy’s balls are weird.
Fabian Nicienza: Man, I remember when I used to run Valiant -- Oh, wait, maybe I ran Acclaim. I could never keep all that straight. I was getting high the whole time with Keith Giffen anyway. That or maybe we were giving too much blood. Either way, I don't remember what happened. MAGNUS ROBOT FIGHTER? What -- he just fights fucking robots? That was the whole thing? Suckers.
Garth Ennis: Cor blimey, Guvnor, then Levitz chim-chimereehooed down the pub for a sixpence, number 9, number 9, number 9. And -- look, I’m actually from Lima, Ohio. I just fake the accent because it sells more comics. Levitz started punching Giffen out -- it was wicked cool.
Mike Richardson: Anyone want to buy a g-string with a tiny drawing of Popeye on it?
Brian (Michael) Bendis: I-I, you see, I don't... This -- This is a , Uh. Huh? I-I-I- ... WOW! I'd-I'd-I'd then-then... GOD!!! Aiight? Carson Daly.
Geoff Johns: Wow -- just like David Mamet. I want to kiss his lips just like as if they belonged to David Mamet. Wait, maybe I'm thinking of David Faustino. Oh, whichever.
Grant Morrison: I used to run Valiant. That or I hallucinated that I did once. Valiant’s the one with the four heads of fire, right?
Mike Richardson: Okay, motherfuckers, I have a fucking kidney. YOU WILL BUY FROM ME! Please -- I'm trying to raise money to purchase the license to do a series of MANNEQUIN 2: MANNEQUIN ON THE MOVE comic books! She will be on the move all over your cunthorse ass, Chaykin!
Kevin Smith: Am I paying money to put this on the Internet? I don’t think cunthorse is a word.
So, that’s what an oral history is (only there’s a narrative usually). So, what have we learned? That I can’t write dialogue. And that I’m officially out of better ideas if I’m doing the lame “fake dialogue” gag. Uccch …
Oh, man, when I was the guy reading the comic-book columns, man, did I ever hate the “fake dialogue” gag. It’s such an amateur, TIRED gag. When I would see someone doing the “fake dialogue” gag, I remember so clearly saying to myself, “Good one, dude”… only sarcastically. If you have any taste at all, you’re saying “Good one, dude,” similarly sarcastically. Or maybe you’re saying, “Lick mine, jokeboy” – sarcastically, or, for one or two of you out there, enticingly. Maybe you’re saying, “Why would I be talking to myself about your column? I’m not schizophrenic. Did anyone notice when you’d say ‘Good one, dude’ to yourself? They must’ve thought you were fucking crazy. What the FUCK?”
ANYWAY, the reason I resorted to the lame-ass “fake dialogue” gag to begin with is that this Saturday Night Live book is just tremendous. They talk to EVERYONE from Lorne Michaels to every living cast member (except Eddie Murphy), from the show’s writers to beyond. They talk to hosts -- Tom Hanks, Paul Simon and seemingly everyone in between. Twenty-five years of backstabbing, drugs, crazy controversies, pissed-off celebrities. Anyone you’d want to hear from, any topic you’d want to see covered, someone spills the beans on.
I guess my idea of fun is 600 pages of people talking about how much they fucking HATE Chevy Chase, apparently. Fans of being sick of Janeane Garofolo’s holier-than-thou schtick -- this is the ammunition you’ve been waiting for! If you’re slightly interested in our defining comedy institution (and SNL is that, for better or worse, or MUCH MUCH worse sometimes, as the case may be), I can’t imagine there’s any book that comes close. A fun super-fast read.
I never talk about the serious books, but I’ve read a lot of ass lately -- I’m on a bad streak with the serious books. Anyway…
DIAMOND COMICS SAYS
Every Monday, we provide a list of products shipping for
the current week, as well as those products expected to
ship the following week!
I’m probably off next week -- I need to travel to Somewhere, USA for Thanksgiving. So, enjoy Thanksgiving next week or don’t, however you do it. At the moment, though, I can’t remember where I’m going -- not home, elsewhere; my family was in the mood to travel for the holiday. Somewhere East -- can’t remember …
It’ll sort of be like that “Where in the world is Matt Lauer?” thing they do on the TV only sans the Couric. Or maybe I’m thinking of Carmen Sandiego, who, incidentally, started this whole Hispanic Craze thing -- it wasn’t Ricky Martin. It was looking for that crazy-ass chica that paved the way for Martin to shake his bon-bons, if you ask me. Man, I’d love to see Edward James Olmos overacting as the tough-as-nails dad in a big Carmen Sandiego movie. Also, I’d love to see Edward James Olmos wrestle a giant monster in the streets of Tokyo. Not necessarily Godzilla, though I understand if he’s the people’s favorite. I think Olmos would put up a more interesting fight against Gamera, though. Gamera’s got that turtle shell -- Olmos would just bounce off harmlessly. What would he do? Personally, I think he’d improvise. SO, anyway, see what you can do about arranging that fight while I’m away. Try not to imagine Chris Ryall re-creating the RISKY BUSINESS “parents gone” dance while I’m away.
As for next week’s Diamond List (which I suppose will be put up in this space without me), let me glance over at the tentative list: AAAAAAAAAH! Dark Horse is selling Pubo #1 next week. How could I miss Pubo #1??
What else… 100% #4 is out next week -- I really wanted to mention just one more time how it’s my favorite book this year. I just love it to death. I don’t think that’s the last issue though, so I’ll be raving and frothing at the mouth like a moron at some point.
OY, you know, maybe I’ll just try to do a very small tentative list sometime this week. I actually want to spend some time on a couple of these books on the “I’m a serious boy” tip. So, actually, I MIGHT be around next week, but at the same time, I might suck. This is turning into some DALLAS season finale -- next week: Bobby Ewing will pop up in the shower. I keep hearing how David Lynch is a genius, but man, now that I think of it, MULHOLLAND DRIVE was just a big-screen version of DALLAS, wasn’t it? If Lynch were a genius, he’d have cast Patrick Duffy. Same goes double for Scorsese.
Shipping This Week: November 20
The following products are expected to ship to comic book
specialty stores this week. Note that this list is tentative
and subject to change. Please check with your retailer for availability.
COMING TO A COMIC SHOP NEAR YOU THIS WEDNESDAY
PREMIER PUBLISHERS
DARK HORSE
CANNON GOD EXAXXION STAGE 2 (PART 3 OF 5) #11 (MR) $3.50
Everytime I see the word EXAXXION, I try to remember what my high score on that game was. I have EXAXXION mixed up with GALAGA, I think.
CLASSIC COMIC CHARACTERS #35 TARZAN STATUE $49.95
CLASSIC STAR WARS A LONG TIME AGO TP VOL 3 $29.95
How can Volume 3 be a LONG TIME AGO? Was Volume 2 a FUCKLOAD LONGER AGO, MO-FO’? I know Lucas likes a prequel, but are they trying to digitally insert some computer generated Jamaican in front of the OPENING CRAWL now, too? They’ve given “A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far Far Away,” its own prequel. Was there Prequel Envy, because I think I read in COSMO that girls have that…
FRANK MILLER THE ART OF SIN CITY HC $39.95
Forty dollars, huh? That means not only does it have the drawing of a giant guy in a trenchcoat fucking and killing a hooker with a heart of gold -- it also has a drawing of a giant guy in a trenchcoat fucking and killing a rich, evil woman who you know is evil because she enjoys sex. So, you’re really getting your money’s worth.
Uccchhh, SIN CITY is such overrated garbage. I love the crime shit, my favorite kind of comic to read, and yet, I have nothing good to say about 80% of SIN CITY. Incoherent plots, dull woman-hating, ninja hookers, the idiotic political tirades. Ninja hookers, alone -- ninja hookers is something out of a Rowdy Roddy Piper movie, not anything worthy of the praise that gets dumped on this miserable piece of shit. Overrated. Garbage.
Equal time: Miller’s short work in Dark Horse’s HAPPY ENDINGS trade was the best thing I’ve seen from him in years. Also, Chip Kidd’s book design on the new Dark Knight Strikes Back Trade was just wonderful, even if the comic itself looked like Miller’s “make it up as he goes along” nonsense. Oh, and Frank Miller’s a master who could at any time wake up, shake off whatever’s been fucking him up so hard these last few years, and start kicking ass again. Then again, I say the same thing about Francis Ford Coppola, and the last thing he did was JACK, so…
GRENDEL RED WHITE & BLACK #3 (Of 4) (MR) $4.99
NICHOLAS WAS CHRISTMAS CARDS $6.99
Nicholas was Christmas Cards? That sounds like the premise to the shittiest Roger Corman movie ever. That or some Rankin-Bass claymation thing about a Christmas Card that comes to life to help Timmy deal with his gas-huffing dad, and in the process, learn that Christmas is all about giving and/or huffing sweet, sweet gasoline.
Is Nicholas dead? It could be NICHOLAS IS CHRISTMAS CARDS. I think Nicholas is dead. Christ, Dark Horse gets awfully morose during the holidays. The Baby Jesus doesn’t want any of your shit, Dark Horse!
REVEAL TP VOL 1 $6.95
Jules Asner has her own comic book? Apparently, I don’t know if she still is, but she was Soderbergh’s girlfriend. Speaking of the Steven Soderbergh, he has this new movie coming out in a couple weeks called SOLARIS. I have seen maybe one ad on television for it, in between JUICEMAN infomercials at 4 a.m. Given the lack of support, it probably won’t be very good. Or, maybe, there’s a critical backlash going on -- critics built him up so much (and rightly so, I would assert) over the last couple years that they all want to seem interesting/cool by panning the guy as hard as possible. Or possibly Soderbergh does some things businesswise I’m not aware of, and there’s some guy in a suit somewhere who says let’s not spend money marketing his movies so that he has less bargaining power to effect whatever change. But the most likely explanation is the movie probably blows super-hard, especially since I think it’s some outer space movie, but none of the previews are set in outer space. I have no idea…
Anyway, seeing as I’ve only seen the one ad at 4 a.m., I half-suspect this movie doesn’t, in fact, exist. But here’s the thing: Los Angeles loves billboards. This city is saturated with billboards. And the billboard for this movie, which is everywhere, is a super-closeup of George Clooney making out with some hot actress or another. It’s a nicely photographed image, but basically, you drive around Los Angeles and anytime you come to a stoplight, you look up -- George Clooney’s getting some. It’s like he’s bragging about being George Clooney. I don’t think there even is a movie -- I think he just wanted to remind us how well he’s doing with the ladies. Maybe Clooney’s insecure that way …
RING OF THE NIBELUNG COMPLETE LTD ED HC $79.95
STAR WARS INFINITIES THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK #4 (Of 4) $2.99
DC COMICS
AUTOMATIC KAFKA #5 (MR) $2.95
If AUTOMATIC KAFKA were to travel back in time to rape Franz Kafka, would that be incest? Okay, well, what if AUTOMATIC KAFKA were to travel back in time to rape Jeremy Irons, who played Franz Kafka in Steven Soderbergh’s KAFKA? Would that be incest? Okay, well, what about if AUTOMATIC KAFKA were to dry hump an AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINE? Would that be incest? What if money came out of the ATM -- would that make it prostitution?
This comic raises troubling questions.
Ashley Wood looks like he’s getting better. Someday -- I personally don’t respond to his stuff just yet, something keeps me out of it (Wood’s sense of humor is alien, maybe), but I do have hope for the guy …
BATMAN BRUCE WAYNE FUGITIVE VOL 1 TP $12.95
BATMAN FAMILY SUICIDE KING #4 (Of 8) $2.25
They really ran out of gimmicks for the villains years ago, didn’t they? All Batman has to do is WAIT.
BATMAN GOTHAM KNIGHTS #35 $2.75
BATMAN ORNAMENTS BOXED SET $24.95
BIRDS OF PREY #49 $2.50
BIRDS OF PREY shit on my car.
BLACK SUN #3 (MR) $2.95
CLASSIC BIZARRO MINI BUST $45.00
DESPERADOES QUIET OF THE GRAVE TP $14.95
FILTH #6 (Of 13) (MR) $2.95
Aaaah, buying this. I am enjoying this book a great, great deal.
FOREVER MAELSTROM #1 (Of 6) $2.95
Wow -- FOREVER MAELSTROM was supposed to come out back when Bravura was around. Bravura was the “quality” imprint for Malibu Comics, if I remember right. Malibu was purchased by Marvel who then basically destroyed all the characters therein -- I suppose because the contracts made Marvel give up too much money/control to the creators. Essentially, Malibu was purchased for the computer coloring facilities, if I remember this right. Anyway, Bravura had the last miniseries I ever saw fully drawn from Chaykin, called POWER AND GLORY. These are vague memories. And they did a preview of what Chaykin’s next book was going to be -- this book. This is, what, eight years ago? So… wow, basically.
It’s not brain surgery, and yet it seems like people really struggle just to get PAPER WITH DRAWINGS ON IT out the door, doesn’t it? Go figure.
GOTHAM GIRLS #4 (Of 5) $2.25
JLA #75 (Note Price) $3.95
JLA JSA SECRET FILES #1 $4.95
LUCIFER #32 (MR) $2.50
MAD MONSTER BOOK OF HORRIFYING CLICHES HC $9.95
Why would I spend $10 on that when I can get POWER COMPANY for $3?
POWER COMPANY #10 $2.75
Oh, I kid the POWER COMPANY out of love. Or if not love, complete and total apathy.
POWERPUFF GIRLS #32 $2.25
ROBIN #108 $2.25
SPIRIT ARCHIVES VOL 9 HC $49.95
SUPERGIRL #76 $2.50
SUPERMAN DAY OF DOOM #2 (Of 4) $2.95
SUPERMAN ORNAMENTS BOXED SET $24.95
SUPERMAN THE MAN OF STEEL #132 $2.25
MAN OF STEEL would be my stripper name, if I were to become a male stripper? I think that’d get the ladies “primed” -- it’d get the dollar bills going into the thong. As Superman would tell you, it’s all about the dollar bills going into the thong. Why do you think Superman wears his underwear on the outside of is pants? Because he’s cold? That’s where you put the dollar bills, damnit!
WONDER WOMAN ORNAMENTS BOXED SET $24.95
Y THE LAST MAN #5 (MR) $2.95
Buying This. The last issue was basically unbelievable (well, the whole premise that all the men on Earth are dead is unbelievable, but by “unbelievable” I suppose I mean… a nice word for contrived). The series is slowly shifting from a “how would it really go down?” feeling to more of a traditional comic book post-apocalyptic adventure, it seems. Still, I do think it’s a lot of fun, and now that the characters are coming to the fore more, they seem to be good ones. So, I feel very positively about the execution, even if I suppose we could quibble over the logic or reality of a plot bit here or there.
IMAGE
DARKNESS VOL. 2 #1 $2.99
FUSED #3 $2.95
TECH JACKET #1 $2.95
Is this the first comic that is going to be a part of Image’s superhero “universe?” It might not be, but while I’m on the topic: Why the fuck do you people love the superhero universes so much? It seems to me all they can do is stifle creativity. I think they are a major unacknowledged reason why mainstream comics have ground down creatively. If the guy writing POWER COMPANY tomorrow decided he wanted the moon to blow up, for whatever reason, and for everyone on Earth to go live underground for the next 5 years while they build a new one, well, first, he’d get fired because that’s a stupid idea. But second, he couldn’t do it because there’s a “universe” and it all has to interconnect and…
Compare that to AKIRA, which, I would assert, is the best action comic book ever. If you’ve only seen the movie, I had no idea until this year, but the movie is an incomprehensible summary of maybe the first two books of AKIRA. But there, you start out in a futuristic Japan until WHAM -- the entire city gets blown up. And it keeps GOING from there. Shit, it gets BETTER from there. Because it’s not set in the same universe as GUNSMITH CATS. Both works wouldn’t be any good if they were.
People like to insult superhero comics for being incredibly boring. The reason why is superhero comics are incredibly boring. But is that some inherent deficiency of the genre? Or is it a natural consequence of this elaborate, wholly unnecessary, entirely artificial architecture that everyone tries to channel their creative energies through? I would argue the latter. Of course, the boring-ass creators don’t help. Christ, could you write the comics any more dull, people? If I were a housewife, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN would be my valium.
MARVEL
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #47 $2.25
Or as I like to call it, MOTHER’S LITTLE HELPER.
CABLE VOL 2 THE END TP $14.99
CALL OF DUTY THE WAGON #4 (Of 4) $2.25
DAREDEVIL #39 $2.99
INCREDIBLE HULK #47 $2.25
MIGHTY MARVEL POSTER JOE QUESADA THE TRUTH $5.95
MIGHTY MARVEL POSTER KYLE BAKER THE TRUTH $5.95
MIGHTY MARVEL POSTER ULTIMATE MARVEL UNIVERSE $5.95
NEW X-MEN #134 $2.25
SHANG CHI MASTER OF KUNG FU #3 (Of 4) (MR) $2.99
SOLDIER X #5 $2.25
Yeah, I’m buying some of the titles above, but if I could take a moment…Why am I cursed with you people?
This comic, when it was CABLE, was the most incomprehensible PIECE OF SHIT comic book for years and years. It was some half-robot guy fighting mutant robot Egyptian hoo-hahs while his eyeball flashed, possibly in the future. Just fucking garbage.
But people stuck with it. They said to themselves, “Well, might as well keep reading this piece of shit.” That’s the audience for mainstream comics -- there’s that 50% who actually enjoys the garbage because they don’t know better, but then there’s a good 50% who say to themselves month after month, “Well, maybe it’ll get better.”
Why is it when I start enjoying the book, thanks to Darko Macan and Igor Kordey, that’s when you freaks decide it’s time to move on finally? Where are all these X-fans who’ll support the worst goddamn titles imaginable when they put out a comic I like? SUDDENLY, you fuckers have discerning tastes?!?? It’s got X in the title -- aren’t you just supposed to buy it without asking any questions? For Christ’s sakes, people put up with years of Scott Lobdell and Legacy Viruses and Onslaughts and all manners of horrid nonsense. If you could read an X-comic in the 1990s…
But I get a goddamn chuckle out of a comic book, and suddenly some claxon goes off in Nerd Headquarters, and everyone pulls out of their Nerd Dive. What the fuck?
SPIDER-MAN GET KRAVEN #5 (Of 7) $2.25
SPIDER-MAN PETER PARKER #50 $3.50
SPIDER-MAN QUALITY OF LIFE TP $12.99
THUNDERBOLTS #74 $2.25
So, my office, we’re working for a client who is suing an attorney. It happens all the time. Anyway, we’re talking to this attorney the other day, and my boss asks him, “Where did you go to law school?” The attorney says, “Harvard Law School.” Now, here’s the odd thing: suddenly, fiery sunbeams of Godlight erupted from this guy’s ego and pride at having gone to Harvard, thus piercing my flesh burning hot so hot so very very hot. It was CRAZY how much this guy beamed at us. I thought he was about to spontaneously combust, he was so proud of himself. I -- I didn’t go to Harvard, myself, but … do they teach you how to do that there, because that’s a neat trick.
TRUTH #1 (Of 6) $3.50
Oh, buying this. I don’t really care about the Big Story here. The Big Story is that Marvel is positing that the US military experimented with the Captain America super-serum formula on black soldiers before using it on Captain America. Apparently, the rumor is Marvel has received a great deal of racist death threats, as a result. That’s the nice kind of sickening, isn’t it? The “I’m right to think people are shit because look how much they fucking suck” kind of sickening.
ANYWAY, I don’t care about any of that. I’m just getting this because it’s Kyle Baker, and Kyle Baker’s work just blows me away. I don’t think he had anything to do with the writing though, so I’m not sure what to expect. But Baker’s WHY I HATE SATURN, COWBOY WALLY SHOW, YOU ARE HERE -- these are some of my absolute, bar-none favorite comics ever. Just the supreme comedies in comics right now. I could see someone making a good argument for Peter Bagge’s HATE, but I prefer the kind of humor in Baker’s work, I suppose…
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #31 $2.25
ULTIMATE X-MEN VOL 3 WORLD TOUR TP $17.99
Speaking of world tour, my cable was on the fritz the other day? The problem: I was getting the picture normally, but on top of the regular sound was a very long, very heated argument in Spanish. So I call up the cable station, and I’m talking to the cable lady, Marge the Cable Lady. Chatting it up, when Marge, she says, “Did you set your television to Spanish mode by accident?” So, I’m pretty stunned because a) I didn’t know my television HAD a Spanish mode (it does apparently), and b) the lady was suggesting the reason my cable was broke was because I accidentally set my television to a DIFFERENT LANGUAGE and didn’t notice. I.e., she thinks I’m a moron!
Anyway, later on, I’m over at a friend’s apartment to watch the CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM finale, which I assumed would be funnier if Spanish wasn’t coming out of Larry David’s mouth. I mention all this to a friend, and he stops me -- “Maybe you accidentally set your television to Spanish mode. I did that once.”
So, seeing as I never knew televisions CAME with Spanish mode, I just wanted to ask: Is this something that happens to people to a lot? That they accidentally roll over the remote control in their sleep, and when they wake up, they say to themselves, “Oh you scamp -- you’ve set the TV to Lithuanian mode again.” Is this an everyday thing with people?
I … I didn’t set my TV to Spanish mode.
WEAPON X #3 $2.25
This comic looks wretched, for instance. How does this survive and yet my book gets cancelled? Are you people allergic to good?
WIZARD
AVENGERS WIZARD ACE ED #4 $13.99
BEAUTIFUL KILLER #1 (Of 3) (O/A) $2.99
WIZARD COMICS MAGAZINE DAREDEVIL MOVIE CVR #136 $4.99
WIZARD COMICS MAGAZINE GI JOE TRANSFORMER CVR #136 $4.99
WIZARD COMICS MAGAZINE ULTIMATE WOLVERINE CVR #136 $4.99
COMICS
3 LITTLE KITTENS DLX ED #2 (Of 3) $19.99
ALL NEW TENCHI MUYO PART 2 #2 (Of 5) $2.95
ALRAUNE CURR PRTG #2 (A) $3.50
Man, think of how many different ways you could pronounce that word. Wasn’t butchering Sienkiewicz enough fun?
ARCHIE DIGEST #194 $2.39
BATTLE ANGEL ALITA LAST ORDER PART 1 #3 $2.95
BAZONGAS GN (A) $9.95
BAZONGAS is some word Bruce Willis would use to refer to Cybil Shephard’s breasts in an episode of MOONLIGHTING, not a title for a comic book.
BEG THE QUESTION HC $24.95
That question being “Why don’t you just burn money?”
BLACK TIDE CVR A MILLER #3 $3.50
BLACK TIDE CVR B MURPHY #3 $3.50
BROCCOLI AGENDA SC LTD SIGNED BOOKPLATE ED $7.95
Is this some Dave Yurkovich comic? I don’t understand the Dave Yurkovich. He seems talented, and yet his comics are about superheroes made of Chocolate or … ideas I don’t really understand the appeal of. His upcoming work sounds like it might be interesting, but I hope he gets the Grant Morrison influence out of his system soon. Wait, is this Yurkovich? I’m not sure. I’m not even sure if I have his last name right.
CEREBUS #284 $2.25
CRUX #20 $2.95
DF BATMAN DYNAMIC DUO SGN #608 $39.99
DF BATMAN LOEB SGN #608 $19.99
DF MARVILLE SGN #1 $19.99
DF MEGA 80S MICRONAUTS PACK $19.80
DF ULTIMATE X-MEN HC SGN $99.99
DF WEAPON X SGN #1 $19.99
DFE GI JOE FRONTLINE ALT CVR SGN #1 $19.99
DUNGEON #3 $2.95
ENNIS & MCCREAS DICKS 2 #2 (Of 4) (MR) $3.50
ENNIS & MCCREAS DICKS 2 #2 OFFENSIVE CVR (Of 4) (MR) $3.95
FAMOUS NAVAL BATTLES OF WW2 #2 $3.75
Yeah, I don’t really get enough of that on the HISTORY network or A&E or DISCOVERY or THE LEARNING CHANNEL. Oh, speaking of World War 2, I thought that war comic Garth Ennis and Cam Kennedy did last week was a fun book. The REIVERS. It was very weak in spots. Some of the things they were trying to do didn’t really come across for me -- well, the whole bit about the Reivers, actually. The serious bits. But the plotting was a great deal of fun, I thought. As a fun comic, it was actually some fun. As a serious comic, I don’t know.
FATE OF THE BLADE #3 (MR) $2.95
FELIXS WAY OUT CARTOON LAFF A PALOOZA #1 $2.50
GOLD DIGGER #37 $2.99
GOON BAG SET (#1 -- 3) $9.95
I think this comic is only called GOON, but I like the sound of GOON BAG.
HEAVEN 7 #3 $2.95
HOBBIT #1 LTD WENZEL SKETCHED ED $39.99
HOUSE AT MAAKIES CORNER HC $19.95
I’ve never read any of the Tony Millionaire. His stuff doesn’t seem too appealing to me. Granted, I prefer a cleaner art style, but … even the storytelling style. I’m not sure I’d respond to it. I really should try some of his work, though -- people do tend to rave about it.
HOUSEWIVES & HOT MOMS AT PLAY VOL 1 GN (A) $9.95
Volume 1? Is this like the TIME-LIFE series of HOT MOMS?
INFERNO MAGAZINE #33 $6.95
INU YASHA PART 7 #4 (Of 8) $2.95
JIST WITH JOHN CASSADAY CREATING CRISIS SGN $19.99
KEVIN LAU SKETCHBOOK S&N ED $9.95
KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE ILLUSTRATED #16 $2.99
KODT EVERKNIGHTS #3 $2.99
LEGACY OF THE INVISIBLE MAN GN $6.95
LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE MAN OF MYSTERY $9.50
LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE PRO AND THE CON $9.50
Eew … is it just me or do these LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE books sound sort of rapist-y? MAN OF MYSTERY? PRO AND THE CON? Sounds rapist-y to me.
LOST TALES OF ERIN $2.95
I’m guessing there’s a reason they were “lost.”
LOUIS CLOWNS LAST WORDS SC $19.95
LUFTWAFFE 1946 #3 $5.95
MAGE KNIGHT STOLEN DESTINY #2 (Of 5) $3.50
MERIDIAN VOL 4 TP $15.95
MICKEY MOUSE IN COLOR DLX ED (O/A) $250.00
Man, I wish Mickey Mouse were in the public domain where he’s supposed to be. Disney was vital in lengthening copyright terms -- it’s a big issue which the Supreme Court is about to decide on, whether you can retroactively lengthen copyright terms. My guess, at the moment, is that they’ll defer to Congress. Still, $250 for, what, for Mickey Mouse in color? I’m pretty sure you could get a black-and-white drawing of Mickey Mouse and some sort of hallucinogen for much less money, and see all the colors you need all night.
When I was in Vegas, I was walking through the casino, with a bowl of ice cream oddly. What was I doing with ice cream in a casino? Anyway, I’m in a huge crowd of people when this guy passing me SCREAMS into his cell phone, “HEY, HOW MUCH ARE YOU CHARGING FOR AN EIGHTBALL?” The guy’d obviously been awake all night, if not the night before -- he was obviously keeping the streak alive. Everyone turns to stare at this oblivious guy -- little kids, families, seniors, people of all ages. So, if you haven’t ever been to Las Vegas, and you want to know what it’s like, that story sort of sums it up for me.
MOONSTONE NOIR BOSTON BLACKIE GN $5.50
PANELS #1 & #2 ISSUE PACK $9.95
REPORTER #1 (MR) $2.50
ROSEMARYS BACKPACK GN $12.95
Oh, this is that Antony Johnston comic? I don’t know who drew it -- let’s see -- Drew Gilbert. Johnston is a notable name because he is going to be a part of that NIGHT RADIO anthology (announced forever ago now?) that Warren Ellis was supposed to put together to showcase some young, unknown talent in comics. Johnston, Matt Fraction, Ellis, and a fourth person whose name eludes me (as I said, unknown talent). Is that still happening? I hope that’s still happening.
Oh, funny -- there’s another Johnston comic coming out this week, too, from Oni. I guess this week is his Coming Out Party. I don’t know anything about him besides all that -- I think he did one of those illustrated novel things, which … I have no interest in illustrated novels, but hopefully this guy’ll turn out to be somebody.
ROUTE 666 #6 $2.95
SABRINA VOL 2 #39 $2.19
SCION #30 $2.95
SHI POISONED PARADISE PRISM CVR #1 $12.95
SHONEN JUMP VOL 1 #1 $4.95
Oh, terrific. This looks like a GREAT deal. I’m no expert on manga, but 288 pages for $5 just seems like massive value. And some of the serials that will run in this magazine are titles I’m very curious about, in particular NARUTO and ONE-PIECE. Though, speaking of the manga, my favorite comic in the last couple months used to be a scanlation on the Internet until the Web site hosting it inexplicably took it down. It was this thing called KATTENI KAIZO. If anyone knows where I can find a copy of that (without going on IRC which I don’t know how to do and furthermore refuse to do), or can send those scanlations my way, I’d appreciate it. I wouldn’t give you anything in return. And I wouldn’t actually appreciate it -- I’d just say I did, but I’d be lying. Still, I thought KATTENI KAIZO was hilarious, but because it’s very, very Japanese, I don’t think there’ll ever be an English version. There’s certainly no way to find out more about it, as far as I can tell …
SILENT MOBIUS VOL 9 TURNABOUT TP $15.95
SPACEHACK #2 (Of 3) $2.99
TERRY AND THE PIRATES CANADA DRY GIVEAWAY REPLICA SET $9.50
THREE DAYS IN EUROPE #1 (Of 5) (MR) $2.95
This is the other Johnston book, I think. Buying this. I didn’t like the initial preview Oni’s been running in their comics recently, but I have high hopes about this. It’s a romantic comedy, which is a genre I tend to like (if it’s done properly, which is rare in movies now given the way the system seems to perceive the audience). Furthermore, the artist, Mike Hawthorne, looks quite good -- I think, as I’ve said many times before, that he has an animation background (though I was disappointed by what I saw of the Jingle Belle art last week … they look like damn fine artists, no doubt about that, just not used to drawing comics and the particular challenges comics have).
THRESHOLD CONNECTING CVR #48 $5.95
TIM VIGILS WEBWITCH STRIKE CVR #1 $5.95
TOZZER & INVISIBLE LAP DANCERS GN (MR) $8.95
… So, what, it’s just getting mysteriously kneed in the crotch? Invisible Lap Dancers? You’d think you were having a stroke. That wouldn’t be fun, at all. Huh? Oh, wait, I remember seeing the preview for this. The art’s somewhere between Jamie Hewlett and … someone not nearly as fucking great as Jamie Hewlett. It was a lot of celebrity parody. This looked like a very, very strange comic book.
VAGABOND #13 (MR) $4.95
VAMPIRELLA #14 LTD MCCREA CVR ED $9.95
VAMPIRELLA #14 LTD MODEL PHOTO ED $9.95
VAMPIRELLA #14 REG ED $2.99
WAR OF THE WORLDS TP $12.95
WARHAMMER MONTHLY #61 $3.50
WEBWITCH COMPANION MATT MARTIN SKETCH ED $29.95
ZOIDS #10 $5.95
CONCLUSION
I don’t know why the CONCLUSIONs have turned into these morbid, super-serious areas, but I’d like to take a moment to mention some sad news that I haven’t seen mentioned on many of the comic Web sites. Which … there is a very important line between comics and animation. The two aren’t the same thing. Many people from animation don’t take to comics right away -- their work is dull and lifeless because they don’t know how to draw for a page instead of a camera, the way a comic artist should. I’m sure many comic artists couldn’t even crack into animation. But … they’re both about visual storytelling through art, so there should be more of a recognition about what’s happening in both worlds, I’d argue.
Anyway, someone seemingly important passed away in animation recently, as reported by Amid Amidi’s ANIMATION BLAST site. Side note: this site, and the magazine it promotes, are terrific reads for anyone curious about that world.
So with apologies to Amidi, I just want to quote a story that ran over there recently, and give my regards:
Glenn McQueen, R.I.P. Very sad news to report out of Pixar. Glenn McQueen, the Animation Supervisor for MONSTERS INC., TOY STORY 2 and A BUG'S LIFE, lost his battle to melanoma on October 29th. He had started at Pixar in 1994 as an animator on TOY STORY. Prior to Pixar, he had worked at PDI. Brad Bird, who wrote in to tell me about this untimely passing, had this to say about Glenn: "He loved the medium of animation and contributed mightily to making Pixar what it is today. He's sorely missed."
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