New Tilting is up
/Talking about Marvel NOW! and it is available, as usual, at CBR. Comment here if you can't over there.
-B
Wait, What? Ep. 112: A New Dope
/
Wasn't able to find Ditko inking Kirby, but here's Dan Clowes inking Ditko! Ganked from Robot 6 and elsewhere...
Okay, and so but here is our latest episode about which I will provide you with more detail after the jump!
Sorry for the rush, crew: running a little late (when aren't I?) and haven't quite figured out a way to do the show notes for the Q&A that didn't involve a ton of formatting inside the WordPress entry which is a bit of a headache so pardon me if I just start in, yes?
0:00-3:56: Greetings are exchanged! Apologies are made!
3:56-13:56: Superior Spider-Man #1!…is a thing we are talking about. Comic talk so early? It can happen! Dreams can come true, it can happen to you, if you're young at heart. Something I didn't think we would complain about? Superhero fight scenes. And there may or may not be subliminal messages via distant dog barking, I'm not really allowed to see.
13:56-20:21: Also, through the largesse of a Whatnaut, Jeff was able to read New Avengers #1 by Jonathan Hickman & Steve Epting.
20:21-23:31: All-New X-Men #5! One of us liked it; one of us didn't. To say more would give away….The Prestige! (I don't really know what that means, but it was remarkably enjoyable to type.)
23:31-46:39: Answering questions? Will we ever? Maaaaaaaybe, but we decide to talk about other books we read this week: Graeme has read Action Comics #16, as well as the entire run of Batman, Inc.--which Graeme has some really interesting ideas about; Buffy The Vampire Slayer #17; Earth Two #8; Fantastic Four #3 ;and Iron Man #5.
46:39-47:14: Our sole intermission? In fact…yes!
47:14-55:32: On our return, we discuss Star Wars #1 by Brian Wood and Carlos D'Anda. And, since that series is set immediately after A New Hope, we talk about that movie and what we've liked about that film and where it went afterward.
55:32-1:05:34: As for Jeff, most of what he's read has been digital: Thor #4; six weeks of Shonen Jump Alpha, The Phoenix Comic, and 2000 AD (with enthusiastic run-downs of his favorites in each).
1:05:34-1:10:22: Then Jeff has a story about being retweeted he thinks is funny. Yes, people: this is why Jeff is terrible. He actually thinks you can tell a funny story…about being retweeted. Far funnier is how quickly and completely Graeme trumps the story.
1:10:22-1:10:30: And then…questions! For real, y'all, for real.
1:10:30-1:11:15: The Dave Clarke Five! (By which I mean, five questions from our pal Dave Clarke.) Dave Clarke asks: "Is it fair to say that half the appeal of superhero comics is getting to talk about (and/or bitch about) them with your friends?"
1:11:15-1:14:10: Also, from Dave Clarke: "Can loyal Whatnauts look forward to more 2000AD discussion in 2013?"
1:14:10-1:15:45: Dave Clarke! "Would you ever do a crossover episode with House to Astonish?"
1:15:45-1:15:55: DC: "Which is better: Glamourpuss or Holy Terror?"
1:15:55-1:21:13: DC Implosion! "Last time you guys did a question episode Jeff promised to describe more things as ‘chill’. Is there anything Jeff has read/seen/tasted lately that he would describe as ‘chill’?"
1:21:13-1:23:09: Question 1 of 2 from Jer: "Waffles. Can the concept fly in other parts of the country? Or is it Portland specific for some reason — and why?"
1:23:09-1:34:02: Question 2 of 2 from Jer: "I’d like to know what comics media you guys generally consume daily/weekly/monthly (of course, Graeme reads 16 sites by only reading his own stuff, right?). Obv. you read Bleeding Cool at times; what about TCJ online? Etc.?" [This is one of our classic 'Goofus and Gallant" moments.]
1:34:02-1:38:38: Steve queried: "What surprised you (positively or negatively) in the comics industry in 2012? Any predictions for 2013?(Unless you were planning to cover that sort of thing in your last podcast this year or first one next year anyway.)"
1:38:38-1:40:41: Colbert said: "Opinions on best inkers for Kirby and Steve Ditko inking Kirby. And… damn. I can’t think of a waffle joke."
1:40:41-1:44:39: A.L. Baroza asked: "In light of the Sean Howe book and the brief discussion here a few podcasts back over just what it is that a comics editor does these days, what do you two consider a good or effective example of comics editing for Big Two corporate superhero IP? Keeping in mind that there’s always gonna be a tension between creator ambition, the company need to police and maintain a character’s brand, and a primarily nostalgia-slash-event-driven market. Is it even possible these days to navigate through all the competing demands and end up with something like “art”, or should we just write off the idea of lofty ambition for the genre at this point?"
1:44:39-1:45:06: J_Smitty_ asked: "What do you think of the new Ke$ha record?"
1:45:06-1:51:18: Jerry Smith asked: "(1) Spider-Man: Ditko or Romita? (2) Do you buy $4.00 comics? What is the highest price you would pay for a 22-32 page floppy? (3) Karen Berger as head of creative development at Image Comics. Please consider and comment."
1:51:18-1:55:38: MBunge asked: "The internet – the future of comic books or comic strips? It seems to me that the web is not really a delivery or economic format that lends itself to producing a blob of words and art once a month/two months/whenever lazy ass pros or guys who have to work real jobs to support their comics hobby can squeeze some work out."
1:55:38-2:03:38: Mike Walker has a couple of questions: "The “make your own waffle station” at the hotel complimentary breakfast: Good idea or bad idea? What’s your opinion on Bagels? Are frozen bagels out of the question? Fruity cream cheese or regular cream cheese? Describe your ideal bagel (if there is one.) What was your most successful “cleanse?” Can we organize a “Wait, What: Cleanse Week?” Because I would like to see the comments after that week. Are you looking forward to a podcast where you aren’t answering questions, possibly sometime in 2014? What was your favorite Dave Clarke question? Least favorite?"
2:03:38-end: CLOSING COMMENTS REMEMBER TO TIP YOUR WAITRESS
And, lest I forget, here's the link:
Wait, What? Ep. 112: A New Dope
Hope you enjoy; there is more where that came from, coming soon! Until then, thanks for listening and we hope you enjoy!
The Digital Bits
/You may recall that when we started the digital store here, I promised that I would keep things transparent and out in the open about our results. So, here ya' go. Clearly, iVerse/Diamond Digital is, at best, "people's second choice" -- ComiXology has won the day. Further, at least for now, the iVerse/DD store is missing a few keys players, like Marvel and DC, so it's hard to say if they COULD catch up.
I thought (and still think, actually), that I have one small potential advantage from a lot of sites: we're a well-established "brand" for reviews, and seamlessly connecting a store to that would seem like a bit of a no-brainer. The problem, of course, is that coverage here is very similar to what sells in the DM -- it's 70% or better for Marvel and DC, so there's not as many direct links as I would have liked.
(What, I have to tell you to buy Saga?)
So, anyway, here's what happened: in 2nd Quarter, we mad, after the split with the publisher and iVerse/Diamond, $21.92 from selling some 20-odd comic books. More than that were downloaded for free (like Saga #1!).
In the 3rd quarter, we sold exactly 3 comics, and made ourselves $2.95.
Somewhere in there, the store blew up due to something on the Diamond or iVerse end, and the store was down for "some amount of time" -- maybe a month, even. It got fixed in the fourth quarter, but not without a wholllle lot of testing by iVerse folks. In the course of that testing (as well as testing things like with Top Shelf's Double Barrel was actually up), and for something else that looked hella promising, but never followed through on, I made another $12.31 from various people testing various things. Not one cent of that $12.31 was from a consumer sale, however.
So, in year one, I grossed $37.08. Wow.
In exchange for all of these micro transactions, I had to pay PayPal an astounding $14.19 in fees (and that's much less that in would have been, if I didn't switch over to "micropayments")
So, my net was $22.89 in year one. Not bad for something that doesn't cost me any inventory or anything, but San Francisco minimum wage is current $10.55/hour, and I spent at least 20 hours of my life dealing with various things to do with the store and infrastructure, so HARDLY a productive use of anyone's time, really. Esssspecially because that net amount? We split it evenly among SavCrit writers. My personal share was under $4!
I'm, of course, hopeful that the store will continue to generate more money as time wears on (honestly, there was one test they did there which could be paradigm shifting.... but that was months ago, and the follow up hasn't happened yet [maybe at ComicsPRO, next month?]), but, as of right now "it isn't worth the time I've invested so far".
Either way, if you like this site, we always appreciate you supporting it -- if you buy a comic from our digital store we get (as you see) a small cut, but it's a cut nonetheless for something that, we hope, you were going to buy anyway. You could also clock on the little "buy us a beer" button off the the right over there, and make a direct donation to us, if you wanted. So endeth the ad.
Time to go help Ben with his homework!!
-B
Arriving 1/16/2013
/On the one hand, this week is less than half the size of last week's shipment? But, on the other, SAGA! The new FABLES TP! ONE TRICK RIP OFF! Yeah, those three right there are nearly equal to the rest of last week combined...
ALL NEW X-MEN #6 NOW ARCHER & ARMSTRONG (NEW) #6 AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #11 NOW AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #16 B & V FRIENDS DOUBLE DIGEST #231 BATGIRL #16 (DOTF) BATMAN #16 (DOTF) BATMAN AND ROBIN #16 (DOTF) BATMAN ARKHAM UNHINGED #10 BILLY KIDS ODDITIES & ORM LOCH NESS #4 (OF 4) BLACK BEETLE #1 (OF 4) NO WAY OUT BLACK KISS II #6 (OF 6) (A) BLOODSHOT (ONGOING) #7 BPRD 1948 #4 (OF 5) CALIGULA HEART OF ROME #2 (OF 6) CAPTAIN AMERICA #3 NOW CAPTAIN MARVEL #9 CHASING THE DEAD #3 (OF 4) COMEBACK #3 (OF 5) CONAN THE BARBARIAN #12 CROSSED BADLANDS #21 CROW SKINNING THE WOLVES #2 (OF 3) DAREDEVIL #22 DARK AVENGERS #185 DARK SHADOWS #12 DEMON KNIGHTS #16 DREAMWORKS ADVENTURE MAGAZINE #1 DREAMWORKS ADVENTURE MAGAZINE #2 ELEPHANTMEN #45 EX SANGUINE #4 (OF 5) EXTERMINATION #8 FASHION BEAST #5 FERALS #12 FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF SHADE #16 FREELANCERS #3 GARTH ENNIS JENNIFER BLOOD #21 GREEN LANTERN THE ANIMATED SERIES #10 GRIFTER #16 GRIMM FAIRY TALES #81 HIGH WAYS #1 (OF 4) INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK #3 NOW INSURGENT #1 (OF 6) LEGION LOST #16 LORD OF THE JUNGLE #11 MAGIC THE GATHERING PATH OF VENGEANCE #2 MARS ATTACKS REAL GHOSTBUSTERS (ONE SHOT) NEW AVENGERS #2 NOW PATHFINDER #4 PETER CANNON THUNDERBOLT #5 PUNISHER NIGHTMARE #3 (OF 5) RAVAGERS #8 SAGA #9 SAVAGE WOLVERINE #1 NOW SIMPSONS COMICS #198 STITCHED #11 SUICIDE SQUAD #16 SUPERBOY #16 TEAM 7 #4 THRESHOLD #1 TODD THE UGLIEST KID ON EARTH #1 (OF 4) ULTIMATE COMICS IRON MAN #4 (OF 4) VENOM #30 WARLORD OF MARS DEJAH THORIS #21 WOLVERINE MAX #3 WORLD OF ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #25 X-FACTOR #250 X-MEN #40
Books / Mags / Stuff AVENGERS ASSEMBLE BY BENDIS HC BACK ISSUE #62 BATWOMAN TP VOL 01 HYDROLOGY (N52) BLEEDING COOL MAGAZINE #2 CAPTAIN AMERICA BY ED BRUBAKER PREM HC VOL 04 DARK TOWER GUNSLINGER TP LITTLE SISTERS OF ELURIA DC SUPERHERO CHESS FIG COLL MAG #22 RED HOOD BLACK PAWN DC SUPERHERO CHESS FIG COLL MAG #23 BATWING WHITE PAWN DISNEY JUNIOR MAGAZINE #11 FABLES TP VOL 18 CUBS IN TOYLAND FEAR ITSELF TP FEARLESS GENERATION X CLASSIC TP VOL 02 INVINCIBLE TP VOL 17 WHATS HAPPENING MARVEL SUPER HEROES #6 MARVEL UNIVERSE END TP NEW PTG MIGHTY THOR JIM PREM HC EVERYTHING BURNS ONE TRICK RIP OFF DEEP CUTS HC VIDEO WATCHDOG #172 XIII CINEBOOK ED GN VOL 06 JASON FLY CASE
What looks good to YOU?
-B
Spiders and such
/Hey, the holidays are over, more free time becomes available, back to reviewing, I think. Yay? The "big news" of the month is all about Spider-Man, and I'd like to discuss ASM #700 and SSM #1, but will be doing so in several spoiler-ific ways. If you don't want spoilers, don't travel below the "more" line (or, if you're on RSS, look away now)
I don't really know what it is with the general public, but they're pretty easily suckered, it seems like. A little media story of "Spider-Man is dead!" and they all come rushing in, waving stacks of money trying to cash in. That's not to say that they're ALWAYS fooled like that -- I mean when it was "Ultimate" Spider-Man, we didn't get that rush of people (even with Miles Morales being, on balance, a much better follow-through idea); but yeah, lots of suckers coming through this time. What I found interesting was how not so many of the regular comics readers seemed to bite at the apple on this -- deaths like Johnny Storm, or Superman or whatever usually have a large component of regular readers who are curious. Maybe it's the $8 price tag?
But we've STILL, two weeks later, got civvies breathlessly asking if we have ASM #700, and when they find out we do, trying to buy every single copy on hand (really? But.... if I did that, then there wouldn't BE a copy to sell to YOU!) Ah, what can you do, other than smile and sell them the comic, knowing that they'd be better off leaving their $8 on a street corner for all of the chance they'll "make money from it!"
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #700: Here's the thing: even though the set-up is as old as the hills (Oh, Jodie Foster, I had such a crush on you back in the 70s), and even though there's exactly zero chance that this storyline can possibly stick, or even have any real lasting consequences, I very much admire how Dan Slott approached it. The story has been seeded for a long time, built upon established lore, and has been executed with a sufficient sense of dread and skill. I want this up front: I like this plot, and I had a genuine "Oh, what happens next?!" moment or three.
But, in the context of the final issue of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, or even as "just" an anniversary issue, I kind of didn't like this for the simple reason that Peter lost... and went down like a punk. I'm not dumb, I know that the story doesn't "end" here, but there's no triumph whatsoever in a space where there really should be a significant amount of it. Had this store been in, say, #699? Well, that would have been a perfect kind of cliffhanger for an issue like that, but just not something that fits as the "final issue" of a serial which has been running, unencumbered and unchanged since 1963.
Worse still, as a reader, there's nothing on the page to lead me back to "SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #1", per se. I mean, as someone in the industry, clearly it's obvious to me that SSM will run a certain amount of time, and sooner or later the plot and thus the character and the title and the numbering will eventually return to ASM (#750?). Obviously, Peter Parker's story doesn't end here, and I know that because I've read a loooooooot of comic books in my life. But, if I DIDN'T know that? If I'm, say, one of the civvies coming in from the news story, who hasn't read a spidey comic in 20 years or more? Man, what a depressing story: our hero goes out as a deformed freak bleeding out in a gutter as his greatest enemy wins and literally takes over his life. Yeah, that's a hook to get me coming back for more.
Or hell, even for the low-information regulars. Man, I know the comics internet is huge and all-(time)-consuming, but I'd estimate that at least a third of my regulars don't "keep up on the news" -- their exposure to comics really is whatever they see in front of them on the stand on Wednesday. Our subber sign up on SSM has been lower to date, and I've already had more than one person tell me angrily that that isn't what they want to read.
Anyway, one other thing that has to be mentioned about ASM #700 is the price -- jinkies, $8! Almost $9 here because of sales tax. That's brutal by any standard, and even though it had two other, decent, Spidey shorts, that creates a lot of expectation from entertainment, I think. Better still, it's $16 for the three comics that tell this story, and they're actually going to ask $25 for the collected hardcover. Like I said: jinkies.
When you add it all up, even though I generally liked the general verve and the specific audacity of the plot, I'm utterly unnerved by pricing and marketing decisions that surround it, and it makes me throw my hands in the air, and average it out to an EH.
SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #1: To a certain extent, the question is whether or not you're interested in spending $4 every two weeks for a SpOck comic -- I mean, if I didn't get to read them for free, I don't know that I'd be willing to do that.
The protagonist is arrogant, is selfish, is cowardly, is leering -- nothing that I want in a protagonist, in short.
I also have a certain amount of problem with "having cake and eating it-ism" -- rather than being ASM #701 (maybe blurbed "1ST ISSUE in a all-now direction!" or something), this is being made out to be a different series. From a story POV, this marks a very not-Peter era of Spidey, but Parker's "spirit" shows up on the last page(s) to show that it is still very much his story. I'm not opposed to that, per se, but I think it undercuts almost all of the inherent drama of the situation now that we're explicitly told he's coming back. Don't trigger that suspension-of-disbelief-sense -- to a large degree, I don't think that the beat was EARNED yet... SpOck attempting to kill someone would, I think, be a much better culmination of a storyline, than randomly happening in issue #1. With Parker already back on the plate (and, sure, maybe it will take quite some time to play out), I think the story dramatically undercuts itself.
Then, I think, the story becomes about Parker's return, rather than SpOck's struggle with heroism, and I think, "well, people are interested in death and struggle, but return stories are usually bombs" -- just look at the difference in market reaction between SUPERMAN #75 and ADV OF SUPERMAN #500, right?
We're selling SSM #1 better so far than ASM #699, BUT *most* of those sales are "Wow, you still have it in stock, my local store is out" indicating that those aren't sales that are going to especially "stick" for me over any reasonable time horizon.
So, yeah, I'd feel different about this if it was ASM #701, than I do as SSM #1, but because the protagonist really is so loathsome, I'm going with, I guess, a mild OK.
That's what I think, anyway, what do YOU think?
-B
"Believe!..BELIEVE!!" COMICS! Sometimes Imagination Changes EVERYTHING!
/I hear your pain, people! January is a real nutcracker ain't it. What we need, as Bonnie Tyler advised, is a hero. And, yes, Virginia, there are still heroes. It's just sometimes you have to root about in the back issue bins to find 'em. I found one. I found a Hero.
What's the best Superman story ever, ever, ever? It's a question that has occupied many minds for many decades; a real bone of contention with the self explanatory importance of the issue justifying every brutally curtailed friendship, divided family, and more than one instance of burning dog poo being forced through someone's letterbox. Sorry about that, Mom, but it's an inflammatory subject and fiery faeces spoke more eloquently than I ever could. Look, tempers can run high. Luckily, I'm here to solve the conundrum for all time for I, as ever, am totally right once again. It's a gift and yet, at times, a curse. Don't envy me too quickly. Anyway, the best Superman story ever, ever, ever is:
ACTION COMICS #554 "If Superman Didn't Exist..." Art by Gentleman Gil Kane Written by Mighty Marv Wolfman Coloured by Bountiful Ben Oda Coloured by Tiny Tony Tollin DC Comics, $0.95 (Apr 1984) Superman created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster
The title is such an obvious construction that you've probably already completed the missing words signified by the ellipsis. "...then it would be necessary to invent him." And you would be 100% correct. Take a bow! But this is ACTION COMICS where Superman already exists so what, by the ruby rays of Rao, the dingdangdong is going on here? Specifically here being ACTION COMICS #554 and unbeknownst to most ACTION COMICS #554 is the glorious summit of Gil Kane and Marv Wolfman's run on the title. A run which I believe has just been collected in a hardback from DC Comics. A book which Babylonian Brian Hibbs will gladly sell you in return for cold hard cash. That's how he works, it's too late to change him.
When I first read this comic a while ago though I didn't know it had been preceded by a long build up, it was just this weird story where there was a world without a Superman but which sorely needed a Superman. It had, in fact, been a world with a Superman but due to a series of quite magnificently preposterous events throughout GilWolf™'s run (I later learned, because it's never too late to learn!) Superman had been erased from the fabric of this (his) world as thoroughly as your mother erased those adolescent stains from the fabric of your underoos. Although in this case via the use of "power pyramids" rather than a boil wash and some sturdy tongs.
The details don't matter, all that matters is that the course of world history has been changed retroactively. Not only is there no Superman there is no "heroic concept"! This is because there is no War and never has been. Rather depressingly this has led to an agrarian plough level civilisation of scattered settlements. People wear baggy clothes and sport bowl haircuts like some horrific world-wide Madchester revival and while technology is rudimentary they have, astonishingly, developed corrective eye wear. On balance the drab content of life in 20th Century Earth in exchange for millions of years of suffering and violence is probably a fair trade but, crucially, it has sadly left Earth open to a full on conquering by an alien race. Which was said alien race's plan all along. All resistance has been removed, yea unto the very fish that crawled onto the shores and walked. Cunning, perhaps but thorough, most definitely.
The source of earth's salvation comes from two wee tow-headed scamps renowned about the township for their useless dreaming and pointless imaginings. Two tow-headed scamps by the name of Jerry and Joe.
Jerry and Joe.
Oh, you worked it out. (Someone give that guy at the back a hand. 'Sokay we can wait.)
Jerry and Joe realise that to resist the invaders the Earth needs a hero so they hide in a cave and chalk upon the walls the design of this man who "...comes from the stars...", this man who's "GOOD instead of being BAD..." this man with "...a Cape...to CATCH THE WIND!" This man ends up being Liberace, who while very entertaining isn't much use against an alien invasion, so they try again and come up with "...a...SUPER MAN!". This seems more like what they were after and in short order this creature birthed from the human imagination and powered by human belief sets all things aright as Superman is restored to the world and all is well again. Of course, that mean's War is back but so are aspirin and microwaves but, hey, comme ci, comme ça, amiright? That's rhetorical, we already established I am always right back at the top.
Now, this isn't exactly what you might call a realistic premise. It's not terribly likely is it? I mean I love this comic but even I don't think you can imagine Superman up, believe in him and he will exist and sort it all out. I've been trying long enough and hard enough I've given myself a hernia and - no dice so far. I will keep you posted though. No, it's not supposed to be realistic. It's supposed be inspiring and entertaining. Heroic even. And I like that. I like that a lot.
Most (but not all) of the success here can of course be laid at the feet of Gentleman Gil Kane whose art is present in all it's '80s prime. The '80s was, for me, Gil Kane's Shining Time. The time when he had the inking nous to finally do his own pencils justice and the editorial clout to ensure he got to ink himself. While in previous decades Kane was often a hostage to unsympathetic inking the '80s saw Kane unleashed as never before. Yes, I quite like Kane's '8os art. I see '80s Gil Kane in much the same way as '70s Kirby (KOIBY!!!) - a thing unique and entire unto itself. Both styles are so complete that no further development is desirable or, I strongly suspect, possible. Even Kane's shortcomings work to his advantage here. His perfunctory space ships and goofy aliens play into the childish naivete of the narrative. For it is an intentionally childish narrative I think. It's often thought that people like Kane and Wolfman were unsophisticated storytellers since, um, craft apparently only got invented ten years ago or some such horseshit which flatters the current generation. But there are many levels of sophistication and one of these levels is surely being able to pitch a tale to appeal to children while at the same time winking at adults.
Here kids can thrill to the scrappy youngsters showing the adults what's what despite the initial disbelief, get a little fearful frisson when the parents die, be reassured when it turns out the aliens were kidnapping not killing the adults and, finally, soar with Superman as the impossible becomes possible because two children dreamed a dream which became real. Adults of course can get a kick out of the goofy antics as well as enjoy the cheeky moments of humour such as when Joe enquires after his parents and an adult just blandly states, "They're probably DEAD. Buried under the RUBBLE." or when the plucky pair outline their insane plan only for a kid to say "But that makes no semnffmfm" his latter words muffled because an adult has just shut him up with a stern hand. GilWolf™ are not unaware of the daffiness they are dealing in and handle it with a balance and surety easily missed. But you can't miss, no one could miss, the glory of Kane's Superman. Initially appearing as a chalk drawing (an amazingly detailed and preternaturally accomplished chalk drawing - a lot like a Gil Kane drawing (another wink)) Kane's Superman is revealed in an amazing sequence that thrums with power, so much so that Wolfman has little recourse but to resort to the Greatest Wordsmith of all - The Shakespeare. The insane and impossible magic achieved by combining words and pictures and imagination reaches its magnificent apogee here. After this things necessarily fall off a bit (or the risk would be that the reader's head would melt) but Kane's Superman is still like unto a God or at least a Roman Hellenistic statue of a God. A stutue that moves, because, boy, does Gil Kane's Superman move. When he's in motion, and he is mostly in motion, Kane's Superman is fluidity and power in perfect union. Kane's Superman looks delighted to be alive. Kane's Superman is so transported by the act of living even his cape blooms like a physical flare of joy.
And as Superman flies off to heal the world on a monthly basis once more the story shifts scene a final time to another pair of kids. An older pair but a pair engaged in a similar exercise of imagination. The exercise of imagination known as creation. Two kids called Joseph and Jack.
Joseph and Jack.
Joseph and Jack.
'Nuff Said, right?
And maybe that, in the end, is why ACTION COMICS #554 is the greatest Superman story ever told. Because although it could only whisper it tried to tell us the truth. About creation. About imagination and the people who have it and where the real original value in all these creations, all these billion dollar making creations, resides. It resides in the act of creation and it resides in those who have imagination enough to create.
For Joe and Jerry.
For Joseph and Jack.
For the creators.
For COMICS!!!
Wait, What? Ep. 111: Things That Go Wrong...
/
It's....not easy to explain. Trust me.
Oh, man. Remember all the questions you guys asked us and we didn't get to? Well, don't say we didn't start 2013 right!
After the jump: Show notes, no more terrifying photos, still kissing with saliva, etc., etc.
0:00-12:00: Greetings! Before the comics talk, Graeme and Jeff catch up with what they did during the holidays. Unsurprisingly, Jeff got sick and moped. Even less surprisingly, Graeme worked. And worked. And worked. Other exciting topics covered: inadvertent tech problems, deliberate tech problems, Cocoa Pebbles, Cocoa Puffs, and Cocoa Krispies and Honey Monster, the Sugar Puffs mascot. 12:00-29:03: Jeff talks about the first season of American Horror Story, which is another "what we did during the holidays" topic, and that leads into a discussion about things that go wrong, TV, and includes mention of The West Wing and Agatha Christie's Tommy and Tuppence. And, just as we almost start talking about comics, we swerve and talk about Misfits about which, in a weird reversal of the status quo, Jeff is caught up on and Graeme is not. Also, you will never know how much coughing I had to edit out to make this sound at all listenable, but it was kind of a lot. Some of them I had to keep in so we could (sort of) hear Graeme. Sorry about that. 29:03-36:16: Graeme lists the comics he's read! Hey everybody, we're talking about comics! Well, starting to talk about comics! Well, almost…starting to…talk… 36:16-36:52: Intermission Uno! 36:52-38:52: Hey, who has two thumbs and has been interviewed again by Canadian Television? This guy….Graeme McMillan, whom we all know. Yes, CL Cool Graeme (Canada Loves Cool Graeme) is burning up the airwaves. 38:52-56:58: Comics! We were supposed to talk about all those books Graeme listed so of course…we don't talk about them. Instead, we talk about Amazing Spider-Man #700. 56:58-1:05:35: And from there, we talk a spot of news--the promotions of Bob Harras and Hank Kanalz over at DC. Also, those great lists of CE's top-selling books for 2012. 1:05:35-1:05:50: And so…we finally get around to talking about the list of comics Graeme bought! Or….do we? (Hint: we don't). 1:05:50-1:06:38: Intermission Two! 1:06:38-1:07:23: And we're back…and the sound is a bit hinky for some reason? Have we thanked you for continuing to listen to us recently? We really should! 1:07:23-1:23:23: Remember that list of comics Graeme mentioned way back when? Here it is! A delightful batch of old issues Graeme picked up at his local comic book shop's sale: Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1 (1984); DC Comics Presents #60 (Superman and Guardians of the Universe); Machine Man #10 by Marv Wolfman and Steve Ditko; Micronauts Annual #1 (1979); Mr. Miracle Special by Mark Evanier and Steve Rude (1987); and the DC Comics Mystery In Space DC Presents One-Shot (2004) featuring Elliot S! Maggin & J.H. Williams III, and Grant Morrison & Jerry Ordway. 1:23:23-1:39:12: Also, something comics-related(!): Graeme and I talk Final Crisis since both of us (weirdly enough) had re-read it in the last month or so: ccontinuity, the New 52, reverse time, and issues of race, are among the subjects of our conversational hand-wringing. Then…techpocalypse forces us to cut things short in mid-convo and try again. 1:39:12-1:39:32: Intermission 3! 1:39:32-1:42:35: And we are back! (After a few failed attempts, which were a bit on the crazy-making side of things?) So it's back to more Final Crisis talk--where are those Batman issues? What about the Legion of 3 Worlds? 1:42:35-end: And now on to some quick chat about new comics--Flash #15 and its amazing second half by Francis Manapul; New Avengers #1 by Jonathan Hickman and Steve Epting (including a shout-out to Abhay's fantastic commentary on Hickman's Secret); Sachie-Chan Good!! by Akira Toriyama and Masakazu Katsura (which inspires Graeme to recount the "Miss Universe" pitch from the Downey Files podcast); Batman Inc. #6; Saga #8; Wonder Woman #15; Fatale #11 by Brubaker and Phillips; Prophet #32; Godzilla: The Half-Century War #4; Witch-Doctor: Mal Practice #2; and (digitally) the first volume of Kikaider by Shotaro Ishinomori (sooooo good!) And then a little after the two hour mark--we are finished! For now. [Cue ominous music...]
As I'm a bit out of practice, a bit sick, and staring down the barrel of an early wake-up call, let me just cut through the niceties and say: it's good to be back! (Hold up, brain: isn't that a nicety right there?) And blah blah blah blah iTunes, but also right here, and so on:
Wait, What? Ep. 111: Things That Go Wrong
Ah, but no worries we will be back next week--here is to a Happy New Year to all and, as you may have guessed, we thank you for listening!
Arriving 1/9/13
/Now who would have thought there would be SO MANY books and comics in the second week of January, of all times?
Seriously, this is a ton!
ACTION COMICS #16 ADVENTURE TIME #11 AGE OF APOCALYPSE #11 ANIMAL MAN #16 ARCHIE #640 ARCHIE & FRIENDS DOUBLE DIGEST #23 ARTIFACTS #24 AVENGERS ARENA #3 NOW BATWING #16 BETTIE PAGE IN DANGER #6 BPRD HELL ON EARTH #103 ABYSS TIME #1 (OF 2) BRAVEST WARRIORS #4 (OF 6) BTVS SEASON 9 FREEFALL #17 CABLE AND X-FORCE #3 NOW CHANGE #2 (OF 4) CLASSIC POPEYE ONGOING #6 CLONE #3 DARK TOWER GUNSLINGER SHEEMIES TALE #1 (OF 2) (RES) DETECTIVE COMICS #16 (DOTF) DIAL H #8 DOCTOR WHO VOL 3 #4 EARTH 2 #8 EERIE COMICS #2 END TIMES OF BRAM & BEN #1 (OF 4) FAIREST #11 FANTASTIC FOUR #3 NOW FAUST LOVE OF DAMNED ACT 15 (A) FIRST X-MEN #5 (OF 5) GAME OF THRONES #12 GARFIELD #9 GHOST #3 GODZILLA ONGOING #8 GREEN ARROW #16 GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS ANNUAL #1 GUARDING THE GLOBE #5 HOLLOWS #2 (OF 4) HUMAN BOMB #2 (OF 4) INFINITE VACATION #5 (OF 5) JIM BUTCHERS DRESDEN FILES GHOUL GOBLIN #1 JINNRISE #1 (OF 6) JOE PALOOKA #2 (OF 6) JUGHEADS DOUBLE DIGEST #188 LEGEND OF LUTHER STRODE #2 (OF 6) LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #4 MARS ATTACKS KISS (ONE SHOT) MARVEL UNIVERSE AVENGERS EARTHS HEROES #10 MARVEL UNIVERSE VS AVENGERS #4 (OF 4) MEGA MAN #21 MIND THE GAP #7 NON HUMANS #2 (OF 4) ORDER OF DAGONET #2 PHANTOM STRANGER #4 PLUME #1 (OF 5) POINT OF IMPACT #4 (OF 4) POPEYE #9 PUNISHER NIGHTMARE #2 (OF 5) PUNISHER WAR ZONE #3 (OF 5) REPOSSESSED #1 (OF 4) SAVAGE DRAGON #184 SCARLET SPIDER #13 SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #29 SECRET AVENGERS #36 SECRET SERVICE #5 (OF 6) SHADOWMAN (NEW) #3 SMALLVILLE SEASON 11 #9 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #244 SPAWN #226 SPONGEBOB COMICS #16 STAR WARS #1 STORMWATCH #16 STRAIN #10 (OF 12) STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE VOL 2 #2 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #1 NOW SUPREME #68 SUPURBIA ONGOING #3 MAIN CVRS SWAMP THING #16 SWEET TOOTH #40 (NOTE PRICE) TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES COLOR CLASSICS #7 THINK TANK MILITARY DOSSIER #1 THOR GOD OF THUNDER #4 NOW THUNDERBOLTS #3 NOW TMNT SECRET FOOT CLAN #1 (OF 4) TO HELL YOU RIDE #2 (OF 5) TRUE BLOOD ONGOING #8 ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN #21 WALKING DEAD #106 WOLVERINE AND X-MEN #23 WOMANTHOLOGY SPACE #4 WORLDS FINEST #8 X-MEN LEGACY #4 NOW
Books / Mags / Stuff 2000 AD PACK DEC 2012 (#1812 ONLY) 2000 AD PACK NOV 2012 #1808-1811 2000 AD PROG 2013 ABSOLUTE BATMAN & ROBIN HC BATMAN REBORN ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN GIL KANE HC ALTER EGO #114 ANIMAL MAN TP VOL 02 ANIMAL VS MAN (N52) BATMAN THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS TP BATWOMAN HC VOL 02 TO DROWN THE WORLD (N52) BETA TESTING THE APOCALYPSE GN (RES) BETTY & VERONICA PROM PRINCESSESS TP BLACK INCAL DLX HC VOL 01 CAPTAIN MARVEL TP DEATH OF CAPTAIN MARVEL NEW PTG CASTLE WAITING GN VOL 01 CHERUBS HC COMICS ABOUT CARTOONISTS HC CONAN HC VOL 13 QUEEN O/T BLACK COAST CREEPY COMICS AT DEATHS DOOR TP DEFENDERS BY MATT FRACTION TP VOL 02 ESSENTIAL X-MEN TP VOL 11 FAIRIES MAGAZINE #11 FANBOYS VS ZOMBIES TP VOL 01 FANTASTIC FOUR BY JONATHAN HICKMAN TP VOL 05 GREEN LANTERN THE ANIMATED SERIES TP GUARDIANS OF GALAXY TP VOL 01 TOMORROWS AVENGERS HALLIDAY & HOPPE PEANUT GN HARBINGER (ONGOING) TP VOL 01 OMEGA RISING HEART OF THOMAS HC HI FRUCTOSE MAGAZINE QUARTERLY #26 JACK JACKSON AMERICAN HISTORY TEJANOS CAUSE HC JAGUAR GOD SNAKE BROTHERS REVENGE SC (RES) JLA TP VOL 03 JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE #331 MARS ATTACKS CLASSICS TP VOL 03 MU AVENGERS EARTHS HEROES DIGEST TP VOL 02 NAOKI URASAWA 21ST CENTURY BOYS GN VOL 01 NINJETTES TP VOL 01 NORTHLANDERS TP VOL 07 THE ICELANDIC TRILOGY POPEYE TP VOL 01 POWERS PREM HC VOL 07 FOREVER PROBLEMATIC HC WOODRING SKETCHBOOK RESET HC ROBERT E HOWARDS SAVAGE SWORD TP VOL 01 SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING TP BOOK 03 SHAKO GN SHOWCASE PRESENTS WEIRD WAR TALES TP VOL 01 SILVER DARLINGS GN SPACE HUSTLERS GN SPIDER-MAN ENDS OF EARTH TP SUPERMAN LAST SON OF KRYPTON TP ULT COMICS SPIDER-MAN BY BENDIS PREM HC VOL 03 WAR OF THE GREEN LANTERNS AFTERMATH TP WOLVERINE NOT DEAD YET TP NEW PTG WONDER WOMAN HC VOL 02 GUTS (N52) WONDER WOMAN TP VOL 01 BLOOD (N52)
What looks good to YOU?
-B
Oh Good, Another Year. COMICS! 2012 The Year I Really Didn't Pay Attention!
/I do so hope all across the globe had a happy holiday and got stuff and ate stuff and watched stuff and generally did stuff where stuff was involved. I did, which is why I've been AWOL so sorries and all that but here’s my wrap up for 2012. A year I paid little attention to while it was going on, made no notes and am now left floundering for stuff to write! Appetising, non? Anyway it’s Saturday night and I've places to be, people to see, y’know how it is. Yes, I am lying. This is all I have. Anyway, let’s see how this goes. My money’s on - badly.
Well, don’t look at me. I only read what I bought and I only bought what I could afford and, worse, I only bought what could afford from my LCS in England. So, no, Chris Ware isn’t here, nor is Michel Fiffe, nor LOVE & ROCKETS: NEW STORIES. And if none of them are here then this is a piss poor reflection of the worth of the year indeed. So, rather than do a list of comics I've sort of done a list of people because, amongst other things, 2012 was the year it finally sank in that people are quite important too. Oh, don’t worry they still aren't all that important or anything. Not important enough to be dealt with equitably or decently or any such pinko nonsense. But they are important because if it wasn't for people I wouldn’t get my comics! Also, some people who don’t even make comics were quite important in my enjoyment of the year and while there are no doubt umpty billion lists praising SAGA there probably are only two lists with Graeme McMilllan on (this one and The Pulitzer Council) Which seems a bit off balance. So here’s my 2012 via some people I managed to think about some words for. Just be thankful I didn't call it a sideways look at 2012. That’s always a golden invitation to run screaming in the opposite direction; a sideways look at…! Christ.
Of the comical periodical stuff I did read I’d have to say it was Richard Corben who ruled the roost for most of the year. It’s unfortunate that Richard Corben is 72 years old since there’s naturally assumed to be some degree of special pleading involved; “Y’know it may look like a pretzel in a pool of sick but, bless, he tried and, really, what can you expect at that age? It’s just sweet he’s still breathing unaided.”<pats Ricard Corben on head in patronizing fashion> But NO! I say thee nay! This year via his RAGEMOOR series, shorts in CREEPY and EERIE, his DARK HORSE PRESENTS Poe pieces and, at year’s end, his issue long masterpiece of luridly coloured puppets and profanity THE CONQUEROR WORM Richard Corben took comics by the scruff of the neck and shook it until its celluloid collar popped open and its top hat lay askew. The stronger stories may have benefited from the presence of Jan Strnad and John Arcudi lending form and shape but even when Corben scripted unaided there was no doubting the colossal talent gracing the page, talent the continuing development of which was a sight to recoil from in stunned disbelief. In 2012 Richard Corben was subsumed entirely into The Eisner Hall of Fame. It wasn't enough but it’ll have to do.
I didn’t see a lot spoken about Corben’s work this year and part of me suspects it was because he confounded expectations by keeping the hefty teats of yore largely under wraps. It was as though without the usual easy ingress to an automatically superior vantage most critics were held at bay. As a theory this was utter tosh of course and belittling to the fine critical minds which scrutinize comics on a daily basis ("All-New X-Men gave sight to the blind! And made the lame to walk!"). But yet it was utter tosh I could easily apply to the almost deafening silence which greeted Gilbert Hernandez’ FATIMA: THE BLOOD SPINNERS. This was a delightfully rough and ready thing which seemed like something scribbled in a notepad during the course of a particularly somnolent double period of Chemistry by a randy and imaginative teenager. Its excess of imagination coupled to a compulsively crude execution was one of the most refreshing things I read in 2012. It was a throwback to the days when comics weren't respectable and didn't give a shit. It was a throwback to The Golden Age and not just because if Gilbert Hernandez is producing comics then it is a Golden Age anyway.
Thankfully, female secondary sexual characteristics are not a staple of the work of Roger Langridge. This is extraordinarily fortunate as there was a bit of a creepy trend developing there wasn't there? It was all getting a bit unsettling, but you can all breathe easier as now we’re on about Roger Langridge, who is decency incarnate. Langridge was a busy little bee this year but his busyness had little impact on the quality of his work. First on my radar was his JOHN CARTER work for Marvel which was a fine (if editorially meddled with) slice of pulp pie indeed. Then he wrote and drew the SNARKED series which was a continuation/expansion of the work of Lewis Carroll with a few surprises chucked in ( A Derek and Clive cameo anyone?) As beautifully illustrated in Langridge’s signature clear lined big foot style as ever the real surprise in SNARKED was in the writing. A funny, eventful romp brimming with incident and intelligence it may have been but at the end, at the last, it punched you right in the sternum with an ending which was at once heart rending and uplifting. A great ending for a great book because SNARKED was a great book but Langridge didn't stop there. Oh, no, no, no. No. Next up we had THE MUPPETS: FOUR SEASONS which was from Marvel so, rather classily, it didn't have Langridge’s name on the cover. This was a neat little comic and was certainly better than The Muppets movie. Admittedly I saw this movie slumped on the couch in someone else’s house on Christmas Day with sugar fuelled children interrupting my viewing at intervals that could almost have been scientifically calculated to result in maximum irritation. The highlights of The Muppets were Chris Cooper and the fact that Mickey Rooney is still alive! Holy shit! Let’s put on the show right here, Mickey Rooney! The film was okay but Langridge’s comic was better. Which is probably about right for POPEYE too. I've never seen the Altman film but Langridge’s POPEYE was a pitch-perfect resurrection of Segar’s classic creation being both loony and lovable at one and the same time. Some great art too by a bunch of fellas including Langridge himself.
It wasn't just comics though! There were also books about comics and chief amongst these was Sean Howe's MARVEL COMICS: THE UNTOLD STORY. I'm such a shitty critic that, unlike the rest of comicdom I haven’t got around to that yet. It looks fine enough but it isn’t the book I want about Marvel. I know that without cracking it open because its publication wasn't accompanied by news footage of the Marvel building webbed with yellow Crime Scene tape, long shots of people in Hazmat suits on rain misted moors next to excavated piles of dirt, thirty-something men in sloganed T-Shirts and cargo pants with black bars over their eyes weepingly describing whizzing into milk cartons and coiling into pizza cartons while grainy phone footage of a single nightmarish toilet floated in the top right of the screen, the RSPCA triumphantly releasing the mangy chimp Brian Bendis had held captive for over a decade, Gary Friedrich eating a warm meal under a roof he owned free and clear, herky-jerky footage of a judge with screaming eyes banging a gavel in a room full of people rising as one in a blizzard of paper and the face of Jack Kirby sharing the screen only with the word “VINDICATED!!!”. No, there wasn't any of that but there were good reviews so I’ll probably give it a go at some point.
I did read CONVERSATIONS WITH HOWARD CHAYKIN, which actually came out last year but I’m counting it because I read it this year and, y’know, my house my rules, kids! Also, pick your clothes up or you’ll get the back of my hand! CWHC was pretty great being as it was a collection of interviews with the self proclaimed Jew from The Future spanning so many decades I didn't so much feel sad with age but glad I’d made it this far. I’m glad HVC has as well since he is always such an enjoyable natterer. Brannon Costello does a nice job picking interviews that chronologically flow nicely through HVC’s career showing his changes in attitude (well, refinements) to his work, comics and his position therein. Unavoidably there’s some repetition but it’s the kind that just cements how fundamental some things are to the HVC world view. Since this is an entirely legitimate and productive use of repetition kudos to the author are dutifully tendered. Although I imagine the time spent with the great man himself in order to provide the career-overview-thus-far interview which rounds out the book was a reward worth more than riches. More than rubies. Costello is entirely fair to his subject who comes across as an 'umble man who tries to produce the best work he can despite the restrictions of the marketplace. Oh, and he likes ladies.
There are a couple of omissions here (or, rather, not here); the first being my personal conversation with HVC:
JK: Your seminal work of the ‘80s, and here I’m thinking specifically of AMERICAN FLAGG! and THE SHADOW, seems to contain a strong John Severin influence amongst the customary Toth and Gil Kane elements. In particular the faces have a crispness to the definition they previously lacked. Would it be true to say that it was at this point that you began to fold Severin into your style? HVC: Bojemoi! What are you doing in my bedroom? It’s three in the goddamn morning! Who are you? Who sent you? I have a gun! Jesus, what’s wrong with your teeth?
Back in the real world, this volume does not include any of The Comics Journal interviews with HVC. Hopefully this is because TCJ are going to publish a big ass lavishly illustrated landscape format volume of them like they did with the Jack Kirby (KOIBY!!!) interviews. Even more hopefully the HVC volume has only not come out yet because they are working on a Gil Kane volume. It would be nice if TCJ did this, particularly as it would count as some small measure of recompense for their poaching of the younger Savage Critics like some journalistic pied piper of fucking Hamlin. A second reason is that TCJ interviews are always good readin’. Particularly those with Gary Groth. Younger readers (i.e. under 40) may not be familiar with the particular and recurrent joys of a mainstream creator getting Grothed. Things would usually start out all chummy with the interview containing a slow but insistent buttering up along the twin lines of “you’re much better than this genre” and “you must have lead an interesting life”. This apparently innocuous praise would lead to the creator foolishly stepping right into Groth’s Horns of The Buffalo whereupon they would snap closed behind them and the hapless chump would be battered by a tirade of variously worded interrogatives, the common gist of which would be that they were letting down themselves, their family, the medium, the children of the world, generations yet unborn, art itself, human civilisation and Bea Arthur from Golden Girls by choosing to draw Spider-Man rather than document their family’s hard scrabble immigrant struggle to survive. Good times, I miss them still. Ah, got a bot off track there. Focus, John!
There were many reasons to thank Jeff Lester this year. The nauseated awe engendered by his latest meticulously reported dietary fad (in 2013 - it's dandruff and vole tears!), the unending hilarity of hearing him justify his consumer choices to people who don't really care beyond the initial act of poking him with a stick, his grace and manners when I E-Mail him to ask a stupid question and, of course, thanks to Jeff Lester I saw a movie I enjoyed. I know Jeff Lester enjoyed this movie because he kept banging on about it like my Uncle kept banging on about God after that piano fell on his head. It was called THE RAID: REDEMPTION and it was very violent which is why I took to calling him Gentle Jeff Lester. I never said it was clever! Or funny! Anyway this was certainly the best movie I've ever seen in which a bunch of Indonesian police get out of a van, cross an Indonesian street and enter an Indonesian apartment building filled with Indonesian criminals whereupon -everyone tries to kill each other for the next 90 minutes – Indonesian style! It’s an Indonesian film, as you no doubt gathered, so we went for the dubbed version. I know, I know, purists are balking here as subtitles are the way to go with the old foreign flicks. Hey, we did try the subtitled version but, being a bit out of practice, I soon grew tired of looking down to read “Look out!” only to look up to find three characters were now dead. As you can tell there isn’t much plot but that’s okay, there’s enough plot to hang all the fighting on and this is some fighting alrighty. The main character has a pregnant wife and his brother’s involved and his Dad looks at him meaningfully so there’s no doubt at least one 20,000 word piece on Culture of Carnage: Tradition & Responsibility in The Raid: Redemption floating about on The Internet. One thing did puzzle me about the film i.e. how outlandish was it? I’m not terribly informed about Indonesia but is it in fact the case that every man Jack of them has a BA Hons in Hurtin’? I like to think so. I like to think that at any moment an Indonesian altercation could escalate from harsh words into a whirlwind of expertly choreographed brutally inventive violence. I bet chucking out time at the pubs is interesting in Indonesia.
This year it was difficult not to believe I had personally wronged Graeme McMillan and that as a consequence my mind was crumbling under the weight of my unassaugable guilt; so often did I glimpse his name in the periphery of my vision like some vengeful phantom in a wordy nerve shredder from the turn of the last Century. But, no, the man who gave up his heathy homeland for the Love of his lady was merely trying to earn a crust. I hope the crust was large and tasty because 2012 was the Year Graeme McMillan would not, could not and did not stop. Graeme McMillan worked so hard this year that I think he broke a fundamental Law of Nature. How else to explain that although no one on all the planet had the time to read everything he wrote Graeme McMillan, just one frail man, somehow had the time to write it? And like the hero of his own story he was, at last, in Time. Graeme McMillan, although with your persistent pace of production you shame all we shirkers I offer you this small reward, I offer you an answer to your question of “What if Brian Bendis wrote Star Wars comics?” Answer: Shit. But in space. No, thank you, Graeme McMillan.
Kim Thompson worked hard this year. Kim Thompson worked so hard Kim Thompson deserves recognition. Particularly so as his hard work had no concrete result. Kim Thompson was the man who tried to corral Dave Sim. After offering a sugar lump of hope to the “controversial “ creator his efforts at open negotiations were met only with finger nips and shoulder bumps as the recalcitrant creator purposefully avoided the proffered treat before, finally, dumping a big load on Kim Thompson’s metaphorical brogues and hee-hawing off with another’s saddle on his back. A fancy gold saddle he had cruelly hidden from Kim Thompson’s view all the while. Not only that but Kim Thompson had to put up with everyone chiming in (mea culpa! Mea bloody culpa!) which while entertaining for the rest of us must have tested Kim Thompson’s patience somewhat. Although it is to be hope that Kim Thompson found some respite in the humour afforded by the rather, er, special fan of Sim’s who dominated proceedings and that writer fellow unsubtly jockeying for work doing introductions. Well, they made me laugh and that’s what’s important. Me.
Baby-faced Brian Hibbs was of course important to me this year because, well, he’s Ballistic Brian Hibbs! Whaddya want, I should draw you a diagram?!?!
No doubt Bashful Brian Hibbs would like me to point out that
SNARKED can be purchased from HERE. POPEYE can be purchased from HERE. POPEYE CLASSIC COMICS is also aces and can be purchased from HERE.
What will 2013 hold then? Haven't the foggiest, mate. But it's sure to contain COMICS!!!
The very best to all of you and all of yours from me and all of mine!
All Steve Ditko art from THE STEVE DITKO OMNIBUS VOLUME ONE (DC Comics) Joe Kubert art from JEW GANGSTER (ibooks)
Comix Experience 2012 Best Sellers: Books
/We sell more books than periodicals (dollars this year: 55% books v 40% comics), so this is my favorite category! I believe this is a wonderfully amazingly diverse list of material sold.
First off, by pieces:
| 1 | SAGA TP VOL 01 |
| 2 | LOEG III CENTURY #3 2009 |
| 3 | WALKING DEAD TP VOL 16 A LARGER WORLD |
| 4 | WALKING DEAD TP VOL 01 DAYS GONE BYE |
| 5 | WALKING DEAD TP VOL 15 WE FIND OURSELVES |
| 6 | MANHATTAN PROJECTS TP VOL 01 SCIENCE BAD |
| 7 | WALKING DEAD TP VOL 17 SOMETHING TO FEAR |
| 8 | DARTH VADER AND SON HC |
| 9 | LOVE AND ROCKETS NEW STORIES TP VOL 05 |
| 10 | WALKING DEAD COMPENDIUM TP VOL 01 |
| 11 | ALAN MOORE NEONOMICON TP |
| MY FRIEND DAHMER SC | |
| 13 | WATCHMEN TP |
| 14 | BATMAN YEAR ONE DELUXE SC |
| 15 | CHEW TP VOL 05 MAJOR LEAGUE CHEW |
| FABLES TP VOL 17 INHERIT THE WIND | |
| HARK A VAGRANT HC | |
| NINJAGO GN VOL 01 CHALLENGE OF SAMUKAI | |
| PROPHET TP VOL 01 REMISSION | |
| WALKING DEAD TP VOL 02 MILES BEHIND US | |
| WALKING DEAD TP VOL 03 SAFETY BEHIND BARS | |
| 22 | FLEX MENTALLO MAN OF MUSCLE MYSTERY DLX HC |
| OGLAF BOOK ONE | |
| 24 | FATALE TP VOL 01 DEATH CHASES ME |
| 25 | HABIBI GN |
| RICHARD STARKS PARKER v3 THE SCORE | |
| UNTERZAKHN GN | |
| 28 | ARE YOU MY MOTHER A COMIC DRAMA HC |
| KING CITY TP | |
| TRANSMETROPOLITAN TP VOL 01 BACK ON THE STREET | |
| 31 | BATMAN EARTH ONE HC |
| BONE COLOR ED SC VOL 01 OUT FROM BONEVILLE | |
| WALKING DEAD TP VOL 13 TOO FAR GONE | |
| WALKING DEAD TP VOL 14 NO WAY OUT | |
| Y THE LAST MAN TP VOL 01 UNMANNED | |
| 36 | NINJAGO GN VOL 02 MASK OF THE SENSEI |
| SANDMAN TP VOL 01 PRELUDES & NOCTURNES NEW ED | |
| THE INFINITE WAIT | |
| 39 | LOEG III CENTURY #2 1969 |
| NINJAGO GN VOL 03 RISE O/T SERPENTINE | |
| V FOR VENDETTA NEW EDITION TP (MR) | |
| WALKING DEAD TP VOL 04 HEARTS DESIRE | |
| WALKING DEAD TP VOL 12 LIFE AMONG THEM | |
| 44 | CHEW TP VOL 04 FLAMBE |
| CHRIS WARE BUILDING STORIES HC | |
| FROM HELL TP | |
| GET JIRO HC | |
| 48 | AMULET SC VOL 01 STONEKEEPER |
| AVATAR LAST AIRBENDER TP VOL 01 PROMISE PART 1 | |
| BATMAN DARK KNIGHT RETURNS TP (new $19.99 printing) | |
| BATMAN THE KILLING JOKE SPECIAL ED HC | |
| BLACKSAD SILENT HELL HC | |
| CHEW TP VOL 01 | |
| CRIMINAL TP VOL 01 COWARD | |
| GONZO A GRAPHIC BIOGRAPHY OF HUNTER S THOMPSON | |
| TRANSMETROPOLITAN TP VOL 02 LUST FOR LIFE NEW ED | |
| WALKING DEAD TP VOL 11 FEAR THE HUNTERS | |
| 58 | ANYAS GHOST GN |
| CHEW TP VOL 02 INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR | |
| FABLES TP VOL 16 SUPER TEAM | |
| HARVEY PEKAR CLEVELAND HC | |
| HELLBOY TP VOL 12 THE STORM AND THE FURY | |
| INVISIBLES TP #1 SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION | |
| JERUSALEM CHRONICLES FROM THE HOLY CITY HC | |
| NINJAGO GN VOL 04 TOMB O/T FANGPYRE | |
| SCALPED TP VOL 09 KNUCKLE UP | |
| 67 | AVATAR LAST AIRBENDER LOST ADVENTURES TP VOL 01 |
| AVATAR LAST AIRBENDER TP VOL 02 PROMISE PART 2 | |
| BATMAN HC VOL 01 THE COURT OF OWLS | |
| BATMAN HUSH COMPLETE TP | |
| BATMAN KNIGHTFALL TP NEW ED VOL 01 | |
| BLANKETS GN | |
| CHI SWEET HOME GN VOL 01 | |
| DMZ TP VOL 12 THE FIVE NATIONS OF NEW YORK | |
| LOEG III CENTURY #1 1910 | |
| PREACHER TP VOL 01 GONE TO TEXAS NEW EDITION | |
| UNWRITTEN TP VOL 05 ON TO GENESIS | |
| WALKING DEAD TP VOL 05 BEST DEFENSE | |
| WALKING DEAD TP VOL 10 WHAT WE BECOME | |
| WALT DISNEY DONALD DUCK HC VOL 01 LOST I/T ANDES | |
| 81 | ADVENTURE TIME TP VOL 01 |
| BLACK HOLE COLLECTED SC NEW PTG | |
| BOOK OF GENESIS ILLUS BY ROBERT CRUMB HC | |
| BOYS TP VOL 10 BUTCHER BAKER CANDLESTICKMAKER | |
| BPRD HELL ON EARTH TP VOL 02 GODS AND MONSTERS | |
| DMZ TP VOL 11 FREE STATES RISING | |
| FUN HOME TP | |
| LOCKE & KEY TP VOL 01 WELCOME TO LOVECRAFT | |
| LOEG VOL ONE TP | |
| NOT THE ISRAEL MY PARENTS PROMISED ME GN | |
| POLLY & PIRATES TP VOL 02 | |
| SCALPED TP VOL 01 INDIAN COUNTRY | |
| WALKING DEAD COMPENDIUM TP VOL 02 | |
| WALKING DEAD TP VOL 09 HERE WE REMAIN | |
| 95 | BATMAN THE LONG HALLOWEEN TP NEW ED |
| BOYS TP VOL 11 OVER THE HILL W/T SWORDS OF A THOUSAND MEN | |
| BPRD HELL ON EARTH TP VOL 03 RUSSIA | |
| BTVS SEASON 9 TP FREEFALL | |
| CHEW TP VOL 03 JUST DESSERTS | |
| CORTO MALTESE TP VOL 01 BALLAD OF THE SALT SEA | |
| DMZ TP VOL 01 ON THE GROUND | |
| FABLES TP VOL 01 LEGENDS IN EXILE NEW ED | |
| FABLES TP VOL 02 ANIMAL FARM | |
| HELLBOY TP VOL 01 SEED OF DESTRUCTION | |
| I SAW YOU COMICS INSPIRED BY REAL LIFE MISSED CONNECTIONS | |
| JUSTICE LEAGUE HC VOL 01 ORIGIN | |
| MONSTERS GN | |
| PROMETHEA TP BOOK 01 | |
| SANDMAN TP VOL 04 SEASON OF MISTS NEW ED | |
| SCALPED TP VOL 10 TRAILS END | |
| SPY VS SPY TP DANGER INTRIGUE STUPIDITY | |
| SWEET TOOTH TP VOL 01 OUT OF THE WOODS | |
| WALKING DEAD TP VOL 06 SORROWFUL LIFE | |
| WALT DISNEY UNCLE SCROOGE HC VOL 01 POOR OLD MAN |
SAGA, dayum -- I ain't seen a book sell this well (ESPECIALLY since we MURDERED with the serialization) since when the WATCHMEN trailer hit the theater. We're selling like 1.2 copies a day when an average TP collection is super lucky to turn one time a year. SAGA sold far more than 2x the #3 book.
Let's sort the same chart by dollars sold:
| 1 | WALKING DEAD COMPENDIUM TP VOL 01 |
| 2 | SAGA TP VOL 01 (BKV) |
| 3 | CHRIS WARE BUILDING STORIES HC |
| 4 | LOEG III CENTURY #3 2009 |
| 5 | HABIBI GN |
| 6 | WALKING DEAD TP VOL 16 A LARGER WORLD |
| 7 | WALKING DEAD COMPENDIUM TP VOL 02 |
| 8 | WALKING DEAD TP VOL 15 WE FIND OURSELVES |
| 9 | FROM HELL TP |
| 10 | ALAN MOORE NEONOMICON TP |
| 11 | WATCHMEN TP |
| 12 | MANHATTAN PROJECTS TP VOL 01 SCIENCE BAD |
| 13 | FLEX MENTALLO MAN OF MUSCLE MYSTERY DLX HC |
| 14 | MY FRIEND DAHMER SC |
| 15 | RICHARD STARKS PARKER v3 THE SCORE |
| 16 | WALKING DEAD TP VOL 17 SOMETHING TO FEAR |
| 17 | HARK A VAGRANT HC |
| 18 | DARTH VADER AND SON HC |
| 19 | BATMAN EARTH ONE HC |
| 20 | ARE YOU MY MOTHER A COMIC DRAMA HC |
| 21 | UNTERZAKHN GN |
| 22 | LOVE AND ROCKETS NEW STORIES TP VOL 05 |
| 23 | WALKING DEAD TP VOL 01 DAYS GONE BYE |
| 24 | OGLAF BOOK ONE |
| 25 | GET JIRO HC |
| 26 | KING CITY TP |
| 27 | INVISIBLES OMNIBUS HC |
| 28 | BATMAN YEAR ONE DELUXE SC |
| 29 | BLANKETS GN |
| 30 | BATMAN KNIGHTFALL TP NEW ED VOL 01 |
| 31 | SANDMAN TP VOL 01 PRELUDES & NOCTURNES NEW ED |
| 32 | FABLES TP VOL 17 INHERIT THE WIND |
| WALKING DEAD TP VOL 02 MILES BEHIND US | |
| WALKING DEAD TP VOL 03 SAFETY BEHIND BARS | |
| 35 | V FOR VENDETTA NEW EDITION TP |
| 36 | FATALE TP VOL 01 DEATH CHASES ME |
| 37 | BATMAN HC VOL 01 THE COURT OF OWLS |
| BATMAN HUSH COMPLETE TP | |
| 39 | CHEW TP VOL 05 MAJOR LEAGUE CHEW |
| 40 | BOOK OF GENESIS ILLUS BY ROBERT CRUMB HC |
| 41 | BATMAN DARK KNIGHT RETURNS TP (new $19.99 printing) |
| 42 | JERUSALEM CHRONICLES FROM THE HOLY CITY HC |
| 43 | TRANSMETROPOLITAN TP VOL 01 BACK ON THE STREET |
| 44 | HARVEY PEKAR CLEVELAND HC |
| 45 | WALT DISNEY DONALD DUCK HC VOL 01 LOST I/T ANDES |
| 46 | WALKING DEAD TP VOL 13 TOO FAR GONE |
| WALKING DEAD TP VOL 14 NO WAY OUT | |
| Y THE LAST MAN TP VOL 01 UNMANNED | |
| 49 | NOT THE ISRAEL MY PARENTS PROMISED ME GN |
| 50 | WALT DISNEY UNCLE SCROOGE HC VOL 01 POOR OLD MAN |
| 51 | BATMAN THE KILLING JOKE SPECIAL ED HC |
| 52 | GONZO A GRAPHIC BIOGRAPHY OF HUNTER S THOMPSON |
| 53 | BLACKSAD SILENT HELL HC |
| 54 | MAUS SURVIVORS TALE COMPLETE HC |
| 55 | 100 BULLETS HC BOOK 02 |
| 56 | INVISIBLES TP #1 SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION |
| 57 | ALL OVER COFFEE v2: EVERYTHING IS ITS OWN REWARD |
| 58 | THE INFINITE WAIT |
| 59 | BATMAN THE LONG HALLOWEEN TP NEW ED |
| JUSTICE LEAGUE HC VOL 01 ORIGIN | |
| 61 | JOHN ROMITA AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ARTIST ED HC |
| 62 | BLACKSAD HC VOL 01 |
| FEYNMAN GN | |
| 64 | WALKING DEAD TP VOL 04 HEARTS DESIRE |
| WALKING DEAD TP VOL 12 LIFE AMONG THEM | |
| 66 | CORTO MALTESE TP VOL 01 BALLAD OF THE SALT SEA |
| 67 | BEFORE THE INCAL CLASSIC COLL DLX HC |
| 68 | HELLBOY TP VOL 12 THE STORM AND THE FURY |
| 69 | WALKING DEAD HC VOL 01 NEW PTG |
| 70 | HOLY TERROR HC |
| Y THE LAST MAN DELUXE EDITION HC VOL 01 | |
| 72 | LOCKE & KEY TP VOL 01 WELCOME TO LOVECRAFT |
| 73 | CRIMINAL TP VOL 01 COWARD |
| TRANSMETROPOLITAN TP VOL 02 LUST FOR LIFE NEW ED | |
| WALKING DEAD TP VOL 11 FEAR THE HUNTERS | |
| 76 | PROPHET TP VOL 01 REMISSION |
| 77 | PREACHER TP VOL 01 GONE TO TEXAS NEW EDITION |
| 78 | BLACK HOLE COLLECTED SC NEW PTG |
| 79 | DMZ TP VOL 11 FREE STATES RISING |
| 80 | BATMAN KNIGHTFALL TP NEW ED VOL 02 KNIGHTQUEST |
| 81 | BONE COLOR ED SC VOL 01 OUT FROM BONEVILLE |
| 82 | ABSOLUTE DC THE NEW FRONTIER HC |
| TRANSIENT | |
| 84 | HOUSE OF M TP |
| KICK-ASS 2 PREM HC | |
| 86 | ANYAS GHOST GN |
| 87 | BLANKETS HC |
| 88 | CHEW TP VOL 04 FLAMBE |
| 89 | BOYS TP VOL 10 BUTCHER BAKER CANDLESTICKMAKER |
| SANDMAN TP VOL 04 SEASON OF MISTS NEW ED | |
| 91 | KRAMERS ERGOT HC VOL 08 |
| 92 | DARK TOWER GUNSLINGER BATTLE OF TULL PREM HC |
| 93 | MADWOMAN O/T SACRED HEART GN |
| 94 | BPRD HELL ON EARTH TP VOL 02 GODS AND MONSTERS |
| 95 | FABULOUS FURRY FREAK BROTHERS OMNIBUS TP |
| 96 | AVENGERS CHILDRENS CRUSADE HC |
| 97 | ASTONISHING X-MEN WHEDON CASSADAY ULT COLL TP BOOK 01 |
| DEADENDERS TP | |
| MARVEL FIRSTS 1960S TP | |
| OMEGA THE UNKNOWN PREM HC |
Right: always interested to hear what you say.... how many of these do you own?
-B
-B
Comix Experience 2012 Best Sellers: Comics
/The full year is now over for us, so how the hell did we do?
The overview says: overall sales up by 7.82%. It would have been much higher, but fourth quarter showed a big softening from last year -- down 1.99% (that was mostly October, comparable down 11%, December was up 1.3%)
Looking just now at "comics" -- these are actual sales, and don't count anything sitting, say, in subscription boxes (even those are close-to-guaranteed sales):
First off, we sort by QUANTITY SOLD. This is the way that traditional Diamond sales charts are sorted. Before the full list, here's what the real Top 5 looks like:
| 1 | Quarter Book - Single |
| 2 | Back Issue |
| 3 | Dollar Book |
| 4 | SAGA #1 |
| 5 | Starter Set |
"Quarter Book" is literally a comic for 25 cents from the junk box, "Back Issue" is a generic category for anything bagged and boarded -- we stop tracking them individually once they go into the bins. "Dollar Book" is just that, slightly more "premium" stuff I am trying to ditch; and "Starter Set" is a themed bunch of back issues (ex: "Avengers #1-12" or "25 comics featuring women characters") bundled together at a cheaper price, but typically a bit more than if I Dollared them out. That first one is multiple thousands, while #5 is a solidly triple digit number. People like cheap stuff, this much is true.
BUT, you don't really want those in the chart, do you? You want the actual comical bookies. So, with 4 of the 5 deleted:
| 1 | SAGA #1 |
| 2 | SAGA #2 |
| 3 | SAGA #3 |
| 4 | AVENGERS VS X-MEN #1 (OF 12) |
| WALKING DEAD #100 (combined) | |
| 6 | SAGA #7 |
| 7 | SAGA #5 |
| 8 | SAGA #4 |
| SAGA #6 | |
| 10 | AVENGERS VS X-MEN #2 (OF 12) |
| PROPHET #21 | |
| 12 | AVENGERS VS X-MEN #3 (OF 12) |
| 13 | BATMAN #13 |
| 14 | WALKING DEAD #97 |
| 15 | AVENGERS VS X-MEN #0 (OF 12) |
| PROPHET #22 | |
| 17 | JUSTICE LEAGUE #5 |
| JUSTICE LEAGUE #6 | |
| 19 | AVENGERS VS X-MEN #5 (OF 12) |
| BATMAN #6 | |
| 21 | ACTION COMICS #5 |
| BATMAN #8 | |
| 23 | AVENGERS VS X-MEN #4 (OF 12) |
| 24 | ACTION COMICS #6 |
| 25 | BATMAN #5 |
| BATMAN ANNUAL #1 | |
| 27 | WALKING DEAD #99 |
| 28 | ACTION COMICS #7 |
| BATMAN #10 | |
| BATMAN #11 | |
| BATMAN #7 | |
| 32 | ACTION COMICS #9 |
| AVENGERS VS X-MEN #7 (OF 12) | |
| BATMAN #9 | |
| 35 | AVENGERS VS X-MEN #6 (OF 12) |
| BATMAN INCORPORATED #1 | |
| FATALE #1 | |
| WALKING DEAD #98 | |
| 39 | BATMAN #14 |
| EARTH 2 #1 | |
| 41 | ACTION COMICS #10 |
| ACTION COMICS #8 | |
| WALKING DEAD #101 | |
| 44 | ACTION COMICS #11 |
| ADVENTURE TIME #1 | |
| AVENGERS VS X-MEN #8 (OF 12) | |
| JUSTICE LEAGUE #9 | |
| WALKING DEAD #95 | |
| 49 | DIAL H #1 |
| 50 | BATMAN #12 |
| JUSTICE LEAGUE #8 | |
| WALKING DEAD #94 | |
| 53 | AVENGERS VS X-MEN #10 (OF 12) |
| BATMAN #0 | |
| JUSTICE LEAGUE #11 | |
| JUSTICE LEAGUE #7 | |
| WALKING DEAD #103 | |
| 58 | ALL NEW X-MEN #1 NOW |
| AVENGERS VS X-MEN #12 (OF 12) | |
| FAIREST #1 | |
| 61 | FATALE #2 |
| JUSTICE LEAGUE #10 | |
| WALKING DEAD #96 | |
| 64 | AVENGERS VS X-MEN #11 (OF 12) |
| AVENGERS VS X-MEN #9 (OF 12) | |
| BATMAN #15 | |
| BATWOMAN #5 | |
| HAPPY #1 (OF 4) | |
| JUSTICE LEAGUE #12 | |
| PROPHET #24 | |
| SAGA #8 | |
| SECRET SERVICE #1 (OF 7) | |
| WALKING DEAD #93 | |
| 74 | FATALE #3 |
| FATALE #4 | |
| UNCANNY AVENGERS #1 NOW | |
| 77 | EARTH 2 #2 |
| JUSTICE LEAGUE #0 | |
| 79 | ADVENTURE TIME #2 |
| ANIMAL MAN #5 | |
| BATMAN INCORPORATED #2 | |
| WALKING DEAD #102 | |
| WALKING DEAD #104 | |
| 84 | AMERICAS GOT POWERS #1 (OF 6) |
| BEFORE WATCHMEN MINUTEMEN #1 (OF 6) | |
| FATALE #5 | |
| PROPHET #23 | |
| 88 | ACTION COMICS #12 |
| ACTION COMICS #13 | |
| ANIMAL MAN #6 | |
| WONDER WOMAN #5 | |
| 92 | ACTION COMICS #14 |
| BATWOMAN #6 | |
| SUPERCROOKS #1 | |
| 95 | AVX VS #1 (OF 6) |
| FATALE #6 | |
| 97 | ADVENTURE TIME MARCELINE SCREAM QUEENS #1 |
| BATMAN INCORPORATED #3 | |
| 99 | ACTION COMICS #0 |
| ADVENTURE TIME #5 | |
| AVENGERS #1 NOW | |
| BEFORE WATCHMEN RORSCHACH #1 (OF 4) | |
| BEFORE WATCHMEN SILK SPECTRE #1 (OF 4) | |
| HAWKEYE #1 | |
| JUSTICE LEAGUE #13 | |
| PROPHET #25 | |
| SECRET #1 | |
| WALKING DEAD MICHONNE SPECIAL | |
| WONDER WOMAN #9 |
It's BKV and Fiona Staples' world, we just live in it.
This year there were a couple of significant "They can't fill my reorders fast enough" that probably otherwise limited some of the specific placing of some books -- There not being a (6th?) printing on SAGA #1 kept it and #2-6 probably lower than it *could* have been, and the ADVENTURE TIME back issues went weekssss between refills, so I think, in a better world, the first six issues at least, could have sold 20-40% more in the end. HAWKEYE faced the same problem towards the end of the year. MANHATTAN PROJECTS #1 just missed the "top 100" here (well, 109) because it didn't keep going back to press (and/or having enough up front). I also had some spot issues with AVX availability, but that was almost always well into their on-stands -- like week 11, I think, for #1. Other than that, most of these comics sold out just when I wanted them to.
But as nice as circulation figures are (and, really, they are nice), the real impact comes from the DOLLARS SOLD -- you can see that more expensive books often end up making more money even when they sell fewer copies. I'll include the MSRP here, though this is "dollars taken in", that is, it includes discounts or things like that, when there are such things (almost never, but still worth mentioning)
| Rank | Title | MSRP |
| 1 | Back Issue | (var) |
| 2 | Starter Set | (var) |
| 3 | Quarter Book - Single | $ 0.25 |
| 4 | SAGA #1 | $ 2.99 |
| 5 | AVENGERS VS X-MEN #1 (OF 12) | $ 3.99 |
| WALKING DEAD #100 | $ 3.99 | |
| 7 | Dollar Book | $ 1.00 |
| 8 | BATMAN ANNUAL #1 | $ 4.99 |
| 9 | AVENGERS VS X-MEN #2 (OF 12) | $ 3.99 |
| 10 | SAGA #2 | $ 2.99 |
| 11 | AVENGERS VS X-MEN #3 (OF 12) | $ 3.99 |
| 12 | SAGA #3 | $ 2.99 |
| 13 | BATMAN #13 | $ 3.99 |
| 14 | AVENGERS VS X-MEN #0 (OF 12) | $ 3.99 |
| 15 | JUSTICE LEAGUE #5 | $ 3.99 |
| JUSTICE LEAGUE #6 | $ 3.99 | |
| 17 | AVENGERS VS X-MEN #5 (OF 12) | $ 3.99 |
| 18 | ACTION COMICS #5 | $ 3.99 |
| BATMAN #8 | $ 3.99 | |
| 20 | AVENGERS VS X-MEN #4 (OF 12) | $ 3.99 |
| 21 | ACTION COMICS #6 | $ 3.99 |
| 22 | SAGA #7 | $ 2.99 |
| 23 | AVENGERS VS X-MEN #12 (OF 12) | $ 4.99 |
| 24 | ACTION COMICS #7 | $ 3.99 |
| BATMAN #10 | $ 3.99 | |
| BATMAN #11 | $ 3.99 | |
| 27 | SAGA #4 | $ 2.99 |
| SAGA #5 | $ 2.99 | |
| SAGA #6 | $ 2.99 | |
| 30 | ACTION COMICS #9 | $ 3.99 |
| AVENGERS VS X-MEN #7 (OF 12) | $ 3.99 | |
| BATMAN #9 | $ 3.99 | |
| 33 | AVENGERS VS X-MEN #6 (OF 12) | $ 3.99 |
| 34 | PROPHET #21 | $ 2.99 |
| 35 | BATMAN #14 | $ 3.99 |
| EARTH 2 #1 | $ 3.99 | |
| 37 | ACTION COMICS #10 | $ 3.99 |
| ACTION COMICS #8 | $ 3.99 | |
| 39 | ACTION COMICS #11 | $ 3.99 |
| ADVENTURE TIME #1 | $ 3.99 | |
| AVENGERS VS X-MEN #8 (OF 12) | $ 3.99 | |
| JUSTICE LEAGUE #9 | $ 3.99 | |
| 43 | WALKING DEAD #97 | $ 2.99 |
| 44 | PROPHET #22 | $ 2.99 |
| 45 | BATMAN #12 | $ 3.99 |
| JUSTICE LEAGUE #8 | $ 3.99 | |
| 47 | FATALE #1 | $ 3.50 |
| 48 | BATMAN #6 | $ 2.99 |
| 49 | AVENGERS VS X-MEN #10 (OF 12) | $ 3.99 |
| BATMAN #0 | $ 3.99 | |
| JUSTICE LEAGUE #11 | $ 3.99 | |
| JUSTICE LEAGUE #7 | $ 3.99 | |
| 53 | ALL NEW X-MEN #1 NOW | $ 3.99 |
| 54 | JUSTICE LEAGUE #10 | $ 3.99 |
| 55 | BATMAN #5 | $ 2.99 |
| 56 | AVENGERS VS X-MEN #11 (OF 12) | $ 3.99 |
| AVENGERS VS X-MEN #9 (OF 12) | $ 3.99 | |
| BATMAN #15 | $ 3.99 | |
| JUSTICE LEAGUE #12 | $ 3.99 | |
| 60 | WALKING DEAD #99 | $ 2.99 |
| 61 | UNCANNY AVENGERS #1 NOW | $ 3.99 |
| 62 | BATMAN #7 | $ 2.99 |
| 63 | JUSTICE LEAGUE #0 | $ 3.99 |
| 64 | GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL #1 | $ 4.99 |
| 65 | ADVENTURE TIME #2 | $ 3.99 |
| 66 | BEFORE WATCHMEN MINUTEMEN #1 (OF 6) | $ 3.99 |
| 67 | BATMAN INCORPORATED #1 | $ 2.99 |
| WALKING DEAD #98 | $ 2.99 | |
| 69 | ANIMAL MAN ANNUAL #1 | $ 4.99 |
| 70 | ACTION COMICS #12 | $ 3.99 |
| ACTION COMICS #13 | $ 3.99 | |
| 72 | FATALE #2 | $ 3.50 |
| 73 | ACTION COMICS #14 | $ 3.99 |
| 74 | ACTION COMICS ANNUAL #1 | $ 4.99 |
| 75 | WALKING DEAD #101 | $ 2.99 |
| 76 | AVX VS #1 (OF 6) | $ 3.99 |
| 77 | FATALE #3 | $ 3.50 |
| FATALE #4 | $ 3.50 | |
| 79 | ADVENTURE TIME MARCELINE SCREAM QUEENS #1 | $ 3.99 |
| 80 | WALKING DEAD #95 | $ 2.99 |
| 81 | DIAL H #1 | $ 2.99 |
| 82 | ACTION COMICS #0 | $ 3.99 |
| ADVENTURE TIME #5 | $ 3.99 | |
| AVENGERS #1 NOW | $ 3.99 | |
| BEFORE WATCHMEN RORSCHACH #1 (OF 4) | $ 3.99 | |
| BEFORE WATCHMEN SILK SPECTRE #1 (OF 4) | $ 3.99 | |
| JUSTICE LEAGUE #13 | $ 3.99 | |
| 88 | WALKING DEAD #94 | $ 2.99 |
| 89 | FATALE #5 | $ 3.50 |
| 90 | ADVENTURE TIME #6 | $ 3.99 |
| BEFORE WATCHMEN OZYMANDIAS #1 (OF 6) | $ 3.99 | |
| 92 | WALKING DEAD #103 | $ 2.99 |
| 93 | BEFORE WATCHMEN COMEDIAN #1 (OF 6) | $ 3.99 |
| 94 | FAIREST #1 | $ 2.99 |
| 95 | WALKING DEAD #96 | $ 2.99 |
| 96 | ALL NEW X-MEN #2 NOW | $ 3.99 |
| DETECTIVE COMICS #9 | $ 3.99 | |
| JUSTICE LEAGUE #14 | $ 3.99 | |
| 99 | FATALE #6 | $ 3.50 |
| 100 | DETECTIVE COMICS ANNUAL #1 | $ 4.99 |
So, yeah, there's the raw data -- I think it shows a pretty healthy and robust market with a fairly diverse bunch of products. I'm especially proud of the showing that Image put in this year.
Questions, comments, toss 'em below!
-B
On Sale 1/2/13
/NEXT YEAR'S COMICS, TODAY! It's MAGIC!
47 RONIN #2 (OF 5) ADVENTURE TIME FIONNA & CAKE #1 (OF 6) ALL NEW X-MEN #5 NOW ALL STAR WESTERN #15 AMERICAN VAMPIRE #34 ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #236 ARROW #2 BART SIMPSON COMICS #78 BATMAN BEYOND UNLIMITED #11 BATMAN INCORPORATED #6 BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #15 BLACKACRE #2 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER WILLOW WONDERLAND #3 (OF 5) COLDER #3 (OF 5) DAMSELS #4 DANGER GIRL GI JOE #5 (OF 5) DAREDEVIL END OF DAYS #4 (OF 8) DARKNESS #109 DPD DOKTORMENTOR JAIL BABE SURGEON #9 FATALE #11 FLASH #15 FLASH GORDON ZEITGEIST #8 FURY MAX #8 FURY OF FIRESTORM THE NUCLEAR MEN #15 GLORY #31 GODZILLA HALF CENTURY WAR #4 (OF 5) GREAT PACIFIC #3 HARVEST #5 (OF 5) HELLBOY IN HELL #2 HERO WORSHIP #6 (OF 6) HYPERNATURALS #7 I LOVE TROUBLE #2 I VAMPIRE #15 INVINCIBLE #99 IRON MAN #5 NOW JOE KUBERT PRESENTS #3 (OF 6) JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #15 KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE #193 LOT 13 #3 (OF 5) MANHATTAN PROJECTS #8 MARS ATTACKS POPEYE (ONE SHOT) MARVELS IRON MAN 3 PRELUDE #1 (OF 2) MONSTERS INC #2 (OF 2) MORBIUS LIVING VAMPIRE #1 NOW MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC #2 NEW AVENGERS #1 NOW NIGHT O/T LIVING DEAD AFTERMATH #3 PLANET O/T APES CATACLYSM #5 PROPHET #32 PUNISHER NIGHTMARE #1 (OF 5) PUNK ROCK JESUS #6 (OF 6) RED LANTERNS #15 (RISE) RED SHE-HULK #61 NOW ROAD TO OZ #4 (OF 6) SAVAGE HAWKMAN #15 SIMPSONS SUPER SPECTACULAR #16 STAR TREK ONGOING #16 STAR WARS PURGE TYRANTS FIST #2 (OF 2) SUPERMAN #15 SUPERMAN FAMILY ADVENTURES #8 TALON #3 TEEN TITANS #15 (DOTF) ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #19 VENOM #29 WARLORD OF MARS DEJAH THORIS #20 YOUNGBLOOD #75
Books / Mags / Stuff BATMAN INCORPORATED TP BLAKE & MORTIMER GN VOL 06 SOS METEORS BLAKE & MORTIMER GN VOL 07 AFFAIR OF THE NECKLACE COMPLETE CHESTER GOULDS DICK TRACY HC VOL 14 COMPLETE PERSEPOLIS SATRAPI SGN BOOKPLATE ED TP DARK TOWER GUNSLINGER PREM HC MAN IN BLACK DELPHINE HC FATALE TP VOL 02 DEVILS BUSINESS GEARS OF WAR 3 OST CD GHOST OMNIBUS TP VOL 03 GLITTER KISS GN GREEN LANTERN HC VOL 02 REVENGE OF THE BLACK HAND GREEN LANTERN TP VOL 01 SINESTRO (N52) JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE #330 LUCKY LUKE TP VOL 17 APACHE CANYON LUCKY LUKE TP VOL 18 ESCORT LUCKY LUKE TP VOL 19 ON THE DALTONS TRAIL LUCKY LUKE TP VOL 20 OKLAHOMA LAND RUSH NOVA CLASSIC TP VOL 01 ORBITAL GN VOL 01 SCARS ORBITAL GN VOL 02 RUPTURES OZ DOROTHY AND WIZARD IN OZ GN TP PREVIEWS #292 JANUARY 2013 (NET) SPOOKS GN VOL 01 FALL OF BABYLON WEIRD HORRORS & DARING ADV JOE KUBERT ARCHIVES HC VOL 01 WOODWORK WALLACE WOOD 1927-1981 HC XIII CINEBOOK ED GN VOL 01 DAY O/T BLACK SUN XIII CINEBOOK ED GN VOL 02 WHERE THE INDIAN WALKS XIII CINEBOOK ED GN VOL 03 ALL THE TEARS OF HELL XIII CINEBOOK ED GN VOL 04 SPADS XIII CINEBOOK ED GN VOL 05 FULL RED XIII CINEBOOK ED GN VOL 07 NIGHT OF AUGUST THIRD
What looks good to YOU?
-B
2012: A Year That I Mindlessly Consumed Entertainment
/I wrote one of these elsewhere in 2011, a year-end best-of / worst-of wrap-up piece, but I thought I'd do this here this year, if that's okay. I can't promise this is going to be a very edifying affair for anybody-- my memory is not great so this is just what I can remember of 2012. I'll start with comics, in case you want to stop there. Thank you for your consideration.
FAVORITE COMICS
Graphic Novels-- Oooh, How Fancy. I missed a lot of the big books of the year this year, like every year-- year-end list are always a subject of a lot of guilt for me for being such a lazy reader. But the book I found myself most responding to this year was Joost Swarte's IS THAT ALL THERE IS?
It caught me at the right time-- it came out right around the time I'd been going back through the non-Moebius-Corben wing of the Metal Hurlant crowd, guys like Serge Clerc or Yves Chaland, the guy who don't fit the stereotype of what that magazine was all about. Daniel Torres wasn't a Metal Hurlant guy but I found an old Heavy Metal with a long stretch of Torres-- man, oh man.
IS THIS ALL THERE IS? was a career retrospective of Swarte's decades in comics, collecting all (or nearly all-- I remember getting confused on that point) of Swarte's work in a slim volume, Swarte being more influential than prolific. The economics of American comics and the attention economy make that a difficult choice, I suppose, but Swarte sure does make a persuasive case for it: boy, these are some pretty comics.
Swarte's comics play around with the form, but that doesn't consume the whole thing-- there are still cartoon characters in there, and more importantly, dirty jokes. See, e.g., the comic about sentient used-condoms-- I really admire that Swarte didn't use his limited output as any kind of excuse to keep him from making a comic about anthropomorphized used-condoms one of the cornerstones of his curriculum vitae.
Serial Comics-- The Kind with Staples. On the non-graphic-novel side, oh, I liked the usual suspects, I suppose. I mentioned enjoying SAGA here, I believe. ZAUCERS OF ZILK-- I thought I would just be reading that for Brendan McCarthy but that actually had a whole thing going on, a whole presentational style that I thought was exciting. Definitely MULTIPLE WARHEADS-- that and SAGA alone would have made this a great year for me. What little I saw of MIND MGMT (I'm behind there). I really hadn't liked this latest series of CASANOVA because a lot of it seemed to be purposefully avoiding or dismantling the things that I liked about CASANOVA to begin with. That said, I thought that last issue of that series landed completely-- I remember putting down the last one of those convinced the right choices had been made and excited for whatever comes next, if there gets to be a next. I always just feel really excited to pick up that book. What I saw of the Roger Langridge POPEYE was pretty impressive.
Oh, and any year with an issue of TALES DESIGNED TO THRIZZLE... Some bow or curtsey is required in the direction of that.
For the mainstream, I only read FURY and the FLASH-- those were the only books where I could go, "I don't care if I feel dirty reading these" (which... look perhaps it's not rational, but I tried to pick up a couple of the celebrated books du jour and just couldn't feel right about myself, for various reasons... I don't suggest there's anything wrong with you if you weren't likewise afflicted, but I just have to admit to that particular malady myself). FURY is obviously the better book, the one where I find the story interesting, where I'm compelled by the AMERICAN TABLOID atmosphere of it all to keep reading, to find out "what happens next." The FLASH is just the one that makes me happy to see the performance-- I don't really care about what he's drawing; I just want to see Francis Manapul do his job.
The Small Press-- Who? I read a lot of great small press comics, this year. I just want to list them all, but I guess that'd defeat the point of a Best-Of situation, right? Thanks to anyone who sent me one out of the blue, especially Gordon Harris sending me PEDESTRIAN and Austin English sending me the DOMINO BOOKS releases.
My friend John launched a Cleveland horror anthology that sure was good times, but my opinion there is biased.
The two things that I most reacted to?
(1) Michel Fiffe's work-- I think I'd seen a little of ZEGAS while it was being serialized online, but ZEGAS combined with a Suicide Squad homage comic that he did (and I think I'm expecting COPRA in the mail soon)? That is some exciting stuff to open a mailbox to; I'd rank that alongside anything else I read this year, easy-peasy.
(2) I really liked this Ryan Cecil Smith thing SF...? Tucker Stone and some other people had been talking it up-- it's, like... like a cover version of a Leiji Matsumoto comic, I think. (I don't really know enough about Leiji Matsumoto to really understand what was going on from that perspective). I really dug the whole package there, though, like on a "look at the way the ink is on the paper" level, and spent a while just sort of paging through it... The story and art were good but that was more a parts-greater-than-sum thing that involved a reaction to the texture of it, for me, a pleasure that's more difficult for me to articulate ...
Webcomics-- What Kind of Weirdo Cares about Webcomics? Easy call: best thing I saw this year was Click and Drag by XKCD. I just thought that was an achievement. Not just in its size and scope, but there are so many killer jokes in there... Plus, I loved how people took it and made their own thing with it-- people who made better scrolling versions, maps, what have you. I've talked about it with friends and compared experiences of it-- my "I got lost the cave system for a half-hour" vs. their "who are you? why are you talking to me? why are you drooling on yourself?" My very best friends.
What else... found myself looking at anything on the Study Group Comics site; Project Ballad; I don't go to What Things Do enough, as often as I should, but whenever I do is edifying, I suppose. Kate Beaton's post-hurricane New York comics. I know Cameron Stewart finally wrapped up SIN TITULO but I haven't sat down with it yet-- but... I have just no doubt based on what I read before it deserves to be on her; that thing is great. Super Mutant Magic Academy and Softer World both continued to kill it for me. And I may be biased, but Eat More Bikes has killed me this year...
Writing about Comics-- The Sport of Kings. I tried to keep a list of favorite writing about comics last year, but I didn't do that this year so I really feel badly that I can't make a better list there.
David Brothers and Tom Spurgeon come to mind first.
I haven't finished it yet, but Sean Howe's Marvel book! Especially that stretch in the 70's. That is a book I've wanted to read for so many years and he did a better job with it than I'd even hoped. I'm still working through that, though.
I spent a lot time surfing by the Comics Journal website so perhaps I got lazy and stuck to their work more than I should've. That said: Chris Mautner talking to Eddie Campbell, and Tim Hodler talking to Chris Roberson. Plus, I enjoyed their coverage of the big stories in comics like Spain Rodriguez passing away or the anniversary of the Hernandez Brothers-- those all lead to pieces I recall having enjoyed. The Kirby Hand of Fire roundtable. I can't say I agreed with him, but I thought Darryl Ayo talking about Ben Marra was worthwhile-- I enjoyed thinking about it afterwards, certainly. I sure envied the angry reaction that Sean Rogers's essay on Flex Mentallo was greeted with, though I suppose I liked that book much more than he did.
Finally, a lot of women wrote about cosplay after the Tony Harris thing. I felt like I learned a lot about a world I didn't really understand before, and I was thankful for that.
I just feel like I'm forgetting a lot-- I regret not having kept any notes, and so, if I've forgotten something any of you have written, I apologize because I appreciate that there are people out there willing to take the time to try to make my expeirence of comics richer. And obviously, getting to be a part of the Comics of the Weak gang occasionally means I get to be next to writing that I think very highly of, whether from Tucker Stone or Joe McCulloch or Tim O'Neil. That's been a pleasure.
LEAST FAVORITE COMICS
Jonathan Hickman's SECRET. Jonathan Hickman's SECRET. Jonathan Hickman's SECRET.
This was a badly executed attempt at doing an opaque "70's suspense thriller." Two issues crapped out, and then I haven't seen it again. Did I miss the rest?
I have to admit that I hated that comic in a way that was really fun and enjoyable, very pure-- everything should be as fun to hate.
It wasn't a "so bad it's good" experience-- I might be too old for that sort of thing to have much purchase with me. No, it was just thoroughly shitty-- dull non-characters, pages crammed with dialogue none of it interesting or memorable, a total obliviousness to the visual possibilities of comics, action-crime comics by guys who just can't sell that they've ever met a tough guy in their life. It all felt phony and un-lived.
Also: "ooooh, Jonathan Hickman is a designer"-- shouldn't there be ANY evidence of that anywhere besides a cover? This is just boring flat grids, humdrum word balloons, dialogue shoved in caption boxes for no discernible reason, same-old same-old tedium aside from a mostly-embarrassing attempt at doing something novel with the color.
Did Steranko never exist? Is David Aja not making comics right this second? Can we quit praising guys for having design skills just because their covers kinda sorta resemble books?
But I loved hating SECRET. I adored hating SECRET.
What I like: you can go and make a million comics for Marvel or DC, but when the time comes to make your own, the blank page is waiting for you. You have a blank page, and have to make up your own world, and your own characters, and you can't ride off Jack Kirby's coattails, or the coattails of the generations that preceded you. None of the experience of riding on other people's accomplishments will help you when it's you and a blank page. You can't pretend to be interesting by having a "massive outline," or by killing Sue Storm, or by having the X-Men fighting the Avengers.
The blank page will eat you alive unless you come at it with some goddamn fire in your belly, no matter who you are, and you can't build muscle to deal with that by lifting 5-pound weights. This isn't just a terrible comic by people who don't seem to know what they're doing-- it's a terrible comic by people who don't seem to know what they're doing who have made a TON of other comics.
And I fucking love that.
Look, maybe that guy's hit before-- I know a lot of people are huge fans, of some of his Image books. Obviously, the MANHATTAN PROJECTS was one of the big hits of the year. Me, I tried the first issue of that, and put it down not feeling any need to find out more about what an actually interesting history wasn't in any way like. I didn't see the appeal. But it's a big hit.
But that fact that we're all equally susceptible to failure, that the really fucking weird hype of "Writer with a Big-Name Because He's the Guy Who Writes Speedball for a Living has Decided to Make Image Comics" (how weird is that hype! To me, it's weird because it highlights how UNUSUAL it is to routinely expect artists to fucking create things), that hype can still result in the biggest pieces of shit I've seen this year, I find all that invigorating personally. I take it as a reassurance as to what really matters.
Get that fire in the belly, kids.
Least favorite writing about comics. Comics Blogger has a list you might find yourself sympathetic to. It includes one essay that I think has to be hands-down winner for the year, though it also includes people I do like or at least feel a fondness for in that they've been a small part of my own life for however long.
Look, my official policy is anyone engaged in writing about comics occasionally will say some impressively stupid shit just unavoidably in the ultimately worthwhile process of saying anything at all, that we are all lucky to be celebrating a unique art form with a grand history stretching in both directions, and that if we didn't celebrate it, the businesspeople and employees whose care comics are temporarily in sure as shit wouldn't bother.
That said, it's also my policy to be wildly enthusiastic about smack talk, of any kind or nature, whether I agree fully with it or not, because I enjoy it, because I find negativity funny and entertaining. (Also, I'm just happy I didn't end up on there because oh brother, I probably came close more than once-- "Hey everybody, people tweeted jokes about Green Lantern I didn't like. Derpity-derp-derp. Here's a youtube video of meerkats").
I would just add in conclusion, that regardless of how you feel about Comics Blogger's list, however aggrieved, we can hopefully set aside our petty differences, look to our common humanity, and agree that MTV Geek was fucking robbed. MTV Geek is a clown car.
MOVIES
Favorite. My top 10, from 1 to 10, I'd go... DJANGO UNCHAINED, THE RAID: REDEMPTION, CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER, 21 JUMP STREET, THE GUARD, THE MASTER, RUBY SPARKS, KILL LIST, LOOPER and MOONRISE KINGDOM.
The Guard and Kill LIst might both be technically 2011 movies; also, while I really liked LOOPER, I remain convinced that the story in LOOPER made no goddamn sense whatsoever. Everything else was a pleasure without asterix.
Least Favorite. This is a tough call, but I'd say PROMETHEUS because I was looking forward to it more than THIS IS 40.
PROMETHEUS was beautiful to look at, and had some riveting sequences, but on the other hand, I was humanly capable of understanding the story to THIS IS 40 while I was watching it, which gives it a slight edge for me in that I find that to be an important part of going to the movies to me.
After those two, I would go with JOHN CARTER-- I thought that stunk, and its failure becoming some kind of cause celebre among geeks was fucking embarrassing to watch. "Why didn't the advertising BLAH?" Because the people responsible for advertising that movie had the thankless task of selling a massive, stinky turd. The end. Thanks, and remember to tip your waiter.
MUSIC
Favorite. I really loved the music I was listening to this year-- I was in a very Albert Brooks in Modern Romance "I love my albums" place with music this year.
Favorite? I'd go with Killer Mike's R.A.P. MUSIC, with the new Fiona Apple just narrowly behind as a strong second. (Apple had great songs but I had a tough time getting used to how they were arranged, while Killer MIke's arrangemnet made more sense to me...?). I really liked that Japandroids album, too...
But what felt unusual... I even liked the big shallow pop hits of this year, for the first time in a long time. Call Me Maybe being everywhere made sense to me, and sure, the lyrics are a little suspicious but that ONE DIRECTION song-- when I saw them perform on SNL, I wasn't thinking "Oh, Boy Bands again, I'm so angry because this isn't intended for my precise demographic." It seemed like a good idea! The song is catchy, and those kids seem preferable to that crazy Justin Beiber guy -- is he driving 1000 miles per hour down LA streets? Why we let that kid become a huge monster made a lot less sense to me.
Least Favorite. I didn't really understand that thing where people got all worked up by that K-Pop song, Gang-something style. The whole appeal of all that was really inexplicable to me-- I was just really mystified what people got out of that. Is it that he yells into a girl's butt? I guess...? Or people sure like lassos, all of the sudden! I don't know-- I just didn't follow what happened there. It was obviously a mass phenomenon, but ... so are fainting epidemics. I just was very confused by it.
TELEVISION
Favorite. My top 10 was (1) MAD MEN-- the Roshomon episode (there was a stretch of episodes where it became like a series of short stories that were just relentlessly wonderful to me), (2) BREAKING BAD -- I'd say the one with the laptop, (3) the Parker Posey episodes of LOUIE, (4) the final episode of COMMUNITY, the last I'll ever see of those characters (no thanks to a no-Harmon version-- I've seen a Marv Wolfman Howard the Duck) sent off in a way that felt so loving to the characters, the actors, the audience, everybody, everywhere, (5) the Year in the Life episode of CHILDRENS HOSPITAL, (6) the episode with Nicola on the train of THE THICK OF IT, (7) HUNDERBY-- the one with the medical exam, (8) the ice rink episode of PARKS AND RECREATION, (9) THE ERIC ANDRE SHOW-- whichever one had Dolph Lundgren, and (10) the Los Angeles episode of EAGLEHEART.
Honorary Mention. It's not TV-- it's CHANNEL 101, but I was very lucky to find myself in the audience for GUMBEL and OH SHIT, as well as the finale of INTIMATE INDISCRETIONS. I don't think my heart ever felt as full of love for my fellow man as watching those final seconds of each of those shows, each of which could not be more different than the other.
Least Favorite. THE NEWSROOM, but that was a show I religiously hate-watched-- everything I'd mock and deride Aaron Sorkin for was just front and center in that show. I was really delighted to hate it, like I was delighted by SECRET-- as a flaming, jaw-dropping confirmation of my preexisting negative biases. Setting that aside, I was really disappointed by DEAD BOSS-- maybe it got better but I couldn't get past the first of those.
Books
Books. I read books this year but nothing I'd want to admit to-- didn't feel like I made good choices there so I found my choice in reading a little embarrassing. So. Oh, I really liked Jonathan Lethem's book about THEY LIVE. I'll cop to that...
Videogames
Favorite. HOT LINE MIAMI. Terrible boss battles, but I really admired the game design for everything else. I love how it milked each moment of gameplay.
Least favorite. MASS EFFECT 3; a giant "what was the point of all that time spent" bummer. Don't make me ask that question, games! Sort of put me off games, in general, which hopefully takes because ... I just don't want to play them-- I don't feel good about the time they take up. We meet all of these characters so we can run past them on the way to some lame "so, uh, which ending do you want?" finale...? What? Also: a game where it's embarrassing to complain about the ending because the fanboy gamers threw such a horrible endless hissy fit that I'm not invariably included in their membership. Ugh to it all.
Comedy Podcasts
I don't have any recollection sufficient to identify my least favorites but. The ones that come to mind, sitting here today...
(1) Todd Glass on the WTF Podcast;
(2) Riki Lindholme and especially the second episode of Kumail Nanjiani talking to Pete Holmes on YOU MADE IT WEIRD;
(3) Key & Peele on the NERDIST-- real pure comedy nerdery, why I listen to that show at its finest;
(4) any episode involving Sona screaming at RJ and Bley on RJ AND BLEY SUCK AT GIRLS-- this show popped up on my tumblr dashboard one day but when they bring on their friend Sona to scream at these guys, that has become one of my favorite things and I wish it happened more; they really deserve it; and
(5) I was there for it, but the Harmotown where Rob Schrab got pulled onto the stage was just a joyous thing to be in the audience for and I'd expect/hope that joy would translate to anyone listening.
Honorary Mention. Michael Chabon on Michael Silverblatt's Bookworm. I just liked how Silverblatt sounded like he was about to have a powerful and overwhelming orgasm talking about Chabon's new book. Sold me on it.
FOOD
Favorite. I really got into lobster rolls this year-- I'd say the Loster Rolls at Son of a Gun were a highpoint. I'd just be sitting around and just find myself thinking about lobster rolls.
Least favorite. The place is out of business now so it'd be rude to identify it by name, but it was a weird "what if Subway sold sushi" place that just closed down by where I work. Subway shouldn't sell sushi. Was that not obvious?
PURCHASES
Favorite. I got an IKEA bookshelf that really ties my apartment together. I don't know what my place was like without it anymore-- it's been a real gamechanger. I'm glad I finally have a chance to tell you about it, as it has been near to my heart.
Least favorite. iTunes deleted all my contacts for my phone for some reason I couldn't fathom, so I had to pay to buy a software that would recover my contacts. I resented it not being free. Is that unfair to the purchase? It is. But ... but make your own damn list! How dare you question my least favorite purchase of 2012? HOW DARE YOU? HAVE YOU NO SHAME?
Arriving 12/26/12
/D'oh, I knew I forgot SOMEthing this week...! Next week's list will be up sometime on Friday....
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #700 AQUAMAN #15 AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #15.1 BEFORE WATCHMEN NITE OWL #4 CROSSED BADLANDS #20 DEATHMATCH #1 HIP FLASK OUROBOROUS JUSTICE LEAGUE #15 MARA #1 (OF 6) SHADOW SPECIAL #1
Books / Mags / Stuff EERIE PRESENTS EL CID HC
No, that's not a lot of stuff. What looks good to YOU?
-B
WALKING DEAD: I'd never heard this before
/Obviously, this story had to have happened... it just had never happened to ME before.
Customer comes to the counter, waving a copy of WALKING DEAD #105. "What the heck is this?!" he exclaims.
"Uh...? What do you mean?" I ask.
"This! What IS this?" He's sort of shaking the comic about, I guess this is the one legitimate time to call it a "floppy".
"I'm not sure exactly what you mean, sir, do you mean 'in relationship to the TV show'?"
"No, no, I know the comic is different from the show; what I mean is what, exactly, is THIS?"
I blink a few time, and am entirely unsure what to say. "It's... it's a comic...?"
"I don't understand," he's getting frustrated, "is this volume 18 or something?"
"Oh!"
"I mean, I have the first seventeen issues, so what is this?"
I get it now. "Yeah! I mean no! I mean, you know that the books are just collections, don't you...?"
"What do you mean?" he demands.
"Each of those volumes you have is a collection of single monthly issues! There's six in each one. Volume 1 is issues #1-6. You're holding issue #105."
"So... this IS volume 18?"
"Well kind of, issue #103 is what comes right after volume 18, this is the middle of what will be that book"
"Wow!" he exclaims, all excited, "I had no idea!"
"Yeah, and, actually, I think it's kind of a better read as a monthly serialization because you get six cliffhangers. In a book, you just breeze through them. Like you remember in vol 16 when [spoilerific content], and you just turned the page, and you knew he was OK? Well, WE had to wait an entire month to find out what was going to happen. It drove us insane!"
"Wow, that sounds great, I totally have to start buying these!"
Obviously, OBVIOUSLY, there had to be a guy who only read TWD in GN form, and never had encountered a monthly comic before. When you say it outloud, it becomes self-evident. I'd just never met a member of the species before. And I was proud to pop his comic book cherry.
God bless us, every one!
-B
"I'm Hip." COMICS! Sometimes The Best Diet Is Revenge!
/Yes! Just in time for Christmas! Howard Victor Chaykin, Ken Bruzenak and Jesus Arbuto team up to present a breezy paced filthy mouthed corpse strewn comedy of bullshit and revenge in a book of which I said, "It's okay, you know. I liked it. I'm not mad about it but I'm glad I have it."
More incisive criticism, impotent invective against the new fangled medium of Television and a distinct lack of editing skills or even self awareness after the break! MARKED MAN Story and Art by Howard Victor Chaykin Colours by Jesus Arbuto Letters by Ken Bruzenak Dark Horse Books, $14.99 (2012) Previously serialised in DARK HORSE PRESENTS #1 - 8 MARKED MAN created by Chaykin, Arbuto & Bruzenak
Mark LaFarge is so good at life he can lead two. The naughty one pays for the nice one but the price of Life is steep and the price of two is steeper still. When his world explodes and the only life he retains is his own LaFarge goes looking for payback. And payback for two lives is going to be a Bitch indeed.
Despite only just having been serialised in DARK HORSE PRESENTS and now available in 2012 via a tidy hardback form MARKED MAN harks back to projects being touted by HVC as imminent way back yonder in 2004. That would be around the time of CITY OF TOMORROW (2005) where, I think, and I take no pleasure in saying this, HVC’s allotted rope as The Prodigal Returned finally ran out. He went away, cogitated and on his return HVC was seen to be largely lending his art to other people’s scripts. This being something he had done only rarely (e.g. TOM STRONG #19) since AMERICAN FLAGG! It was in fact something he had expressed a dislike for but, hey, that’s what he did for a long spell until his cache rose again and projects he could both write and draw were greenlit. So, it’s kind of nice that he got round to MARKED MAN in the end. They call that surviving, babyface! K-Chow! K-Chow! And, yes, I am doing finger-guns at you. No extra charge.
Of course the reason HVC was The Prodigal returned was that he had gone away in the first place. Up until MIGHTY LOVE (2005) he was working mostly in Television. Television. Not my favourite thing, you’ll have gathered by now. HVC’s work from this period does seem somewhat cramped by TV friendly traits (the high concept! the small cast, the limited locations, the too neat plotting) while at the same time enlivened by the abrasive assholery endemic to HVC’s work; the very abrasive assholery which would be the first thing TV would stamp out. Oh, there’s someone at the back there shouting about The Wire and, yeah, The Wire was fine TV but most TV isn’t The Wire. Last night I watched some TV to see how TV MARKED MAN was.
Chance favoured the idle and an episode of Criminal Minds uncoiled from my screen and into my eyes. I don’t know if you are familiar with this one; it’s an FBI Unit composed of about four or five people whose characters are basically the same elements of quirky and troubled but in different quantities. Genitals and skin colour are calculatedly diverse but of no actual importance. The whole charisma lacking crew revolve around a respected actor in a jumper that by virtue of its daring to be even the slightest bit tatty makes everything around it look as hollow and lifeless as the whole stultifying thing actually was. This episode was set in a real-life run down area of America, the name of which I missed because, er, my heart wasn't really in it, y’know. Anyway there was this montage of poor people, mad people and poor mad people and mad poor people over which was some awful sub-Boss shit-rock (“Oh ain’t no jobs now the looms are rusty/computers makin’ cars/people makin’ trouble/no money or hope but gimme a grope/oh, let me stick by broken off key in your rusty lock, babe/Lovin’s what the poor got ‘stead o’money/and it’s the rich who are poor when I’m up you, babe")…or something I don’t know. You know what I mean.
And you do know what I mean because you've seen this show. Even if you haven’t seen this show you've seen this show. This was the one about the vet who is frightened by a loud noise while changing his tyre and goes to ground as the flashbacks take over reality and he finds he brought the war home with him. See you do know it. There’s even a bit where his sad (but well groomed) wife says “It’s been like living with a ghost.” Because he kept putting a sheet over his head and jumping out at her. No, because that’s what sad wives always say in this story. Yes he was traumatised by the death of a child over there. Yes, the FBI were talking him in when a child strayed into the paths of the guns. Yes, yes, he did end up dead. Because while this show would say it was tackling a very real issue in the end it didn't know what to do with the mad poor bastard except kill him. But only in a way in which everyone kept their hands clean. Cowardly toss, I call it. So that’s TV; I can see why so many of our comic writers are so keen to work in it. It’s the creative opp…oh, give over.
I’ll tell you this for true and proper, I’d rather have been reading MARKED MAN than watching Criminal Minds. That’s not because it’s HVC roaring like a lion or anything. No, it’s just GOOD! Sure all the characters are assholes but they all possess a profanity-rich patter which make them assholes pink with the healthy blood of life and puckered like rosebuds seeking a kiss. I wouldn't really want to explain any of that before a jury so let’s just move on. Because MARKED MAN moves, yes, MARKED MAN has momentum. It might be that this momentum costs MARKED MAN depth but I don’t think depth is what HVC’s going for here. It’s a fast’n’nasty crime caper about revenge, trust and taking responsibility for your actions. Refreshingly LaFarge doesn't seek revenge because he feels wronged out of all proportion to his deeds, no, he accepts his portion of responsibility but he’s still going to leave hair on the walls. Accepting responsibility is one of the hallmarks of a HVC protagonist; they rarely do it easy but they always have to do it. Sometimes HVC refers to it as being forced to become a higher moral authority.
This is a phrase I associate most with that time in the ‘80s when HVC’s heroes stopped smoking; a development the vigorous one claimed was due to his being responsible to a higher moral authority. Being a pretty spiritually barren kind of guy I’m not too sure what that means. What exactly is a higher moral authority to HVC? A rabbi on a step ladder? (Try the veal!) The point he was making was that if he no longer smoked he wasn't going to portray that vile, stupid and stinky habit in a light of a heroic hue. There’s no no-smoker like an ex-smoker now, is there folks. I raise this because Agent Hecht, the lady FBI Agent and the closest to a heroic figure in this low down dirty tale, sure likes her gaspers. If there’s one thing HVC nails visually in this it’s the total body surrender to the sheer noxious pleasure of inhaling state sanctioned mustard gas. But if she smokes and isn't exactly the hero(ine) what can this mean with regard to HVC and his higher moral authority? I’m not saying anyone’s been going for suspiciously short walks down the beach but I will point out that mints may make your breath kissy-fresh but they don’t stop your clothes smelling. Just throwing that out there.
The other big thing MARKED MAN is about is the big thing most HVC stuff is about and that’s those evil rich old white dudes who summer in The Hamptons, wear v-neck, slacks and bass weejuns combos and mistake golf for anything other than a waste of time, life and acreage. Moral cripples is the usual term he affixes them with but he doesn't do so here. They are though, very much so, and it’s their very moral lack that leads to them being unable to trust anyone that leads to their disastrous decision to clean up a mess; one that should have been left well enough alone. These are the kind of fun guys who all meet up at a boys only retreat to wear hoods, burn an effigy and chant Begone Dull Care. Which banging toon we will of course recall as being either the hidden track on Born This Way or a song which evolved from a French chanson prior to the reign of James II and is associated with West Yorkshire. I am originally from West Yorkshire but I don’t think we should read too much into this. Or should we? Anyway, these are rich white assholes who think no one can touch them and are thus the most deserving people in the world to be touched very hard indeed. Repeatedly and with great vigour.
Overall then, the book has characters, momentum, villains, action, banter, ooh-la-la frisky woo-woo and at least one clever plot point but it also has a couple of creaky floorboards that stop it getting out of the house without a couple of stern looks as it shuts the door behind it. You may remember back when the sun was young I mentioned too-tight plotting and there’s some of that here. There’s a caesura of sorts at he midway point where things change and time passes off page. When the story picks up again it turns out that LaFarge has secretly been The Best At Computers Ever! He has in fact found out everything he needs to know about everyone involved (even the FBI Agent) necessary in order to do what he has to do. Look, I've played Left4Dead so I know computers are amazing but that amazing? Really? No. It’s probably a casualty of the length but it’s also likely that HVC doesn't want to spend time on the boring stuff. And, y’know what, as a reader I don’t want him to either. LaFarge's mad-IT skillz made me laugh but didn't spoil the book. Because there were other things to enjoy which outweighed it. But if I hadn't mentioned it this would have been dangerously close to one of those reviews that are never like this: “John Kane gives CrackPipe Avengers 5 Stars saying “although it tracked dogshit all across the carpet of my mind at least it didn't get all the way into the kitchen...Another flawless triumph from The House I Want A Job At!” how could you doubt him!”
Chief among the compensatory pleasures are the letterings of Ken Bruzenak. Ken Bruzenak, bless him, has just gone balls-out crazy on this lettering. Seriously, it’s like he did this the day after buying a new software app or something. It’s certainly not unobtrusive and I have to say I found it busy and distracting but that’s me. I do give Ken Bruzenak points on the ring tones though they are a twinkly humourous touch. It occurred to me that the letters might look better on a screen and that might be because that’s how this stuff’s put together now, on screens and stuff. Hitting you with the Tech-fu there! Both the lettering and colouring just seem really cold and glossy but then the paper they are on, as with most modern comics, it occurs to me now is rather like a screen. It’s like someone from the future heard of paper and recreated it but there were no more trees so they substituted polymers and asbestos. It’s not like paper was when I was a lad, all soft and warm like mommy’s cuddles. Damn, maybe HVC’s moving into The Future smoother than I am. Ain't that a kick in the nuts.
MARKED MAN then, not that I've just realised I've got to be off now and have seriously shanked the structure on this thing but...MARKED MAN then is, I'm guessing, HVC's later period art applied to his late-mid period writing. It's got a TV feel but a quality TV feel I'd be okay having watched it on the box but I enjoyed reading it more. Because with comics, HVC comics in particular it's the whole package I'm after. HVC's well honed layouts, Bruzenak's bedlam of letters and even Arbuto's slightly chilly and certainly texturally busy colours. Hey, MARKED MAN was a GOOD! time.
So yeah, I hope to be around before Christmas but I'm a bit sporadic at the moment, so maybe not. If I don't see you have a jolly nice Christmas and I hope you get some COMICS!!!
Wait, What? Ep. 110: Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow
/
One of the two delightful pieces of art made for us by the impressively talented Garrett Berner (a.k.a. The Mighty Gar)
It's our last podcast of the year! Yes, after this two hour and ten minute Whatstravaganza, you get a nice two week vacation from our wee voices nattering on and on, answering your questions, picking apart your comics. Finally! Some peace and quiet for your holidays! Doesn't that sound pleasant?
Anyway...after the jump! More art! Lots of links! A hastily assembled and incomplete "Best of" list! And also: Show Notes!
Another great piece by Gar. We owe that man an "Eternals" debt of gratitude! (Ha,ha! See, because Kirby did The Eternals and...?)
All right, so as you may recall, last episode we answered four questions and had something like forty-seven questions remaining. Did we get through them all in one two hour podcast, you may be asking...?
Well, no. but we did manage to do the following:
0:00-8:03: We open with a delightful reading from Graeme of a well-loved holiday sketch. Then we go on to discuss Graeme's emerging status as a Canadian broadcasting superstar, internet deadlines, just about everything but comics. Because (as you know by now), that's the way we roll.
And you know, as long as I'm posting multimedia links, I wanted to draw your attention to a few things, in case you missed them: a short but sweet interview from Al Kennedy of the famed House to Astonish podcast over at The Beat!; an all-superhero sketchcast from The Irrelevant Show with most of the sketches written by the brilliant Ian Boothby (his Superman vs. The Parasite sketch struck a special silver-age nerd sweet spot for me); and the two Cheat Sheets Abhay has done to date, featuring voice work from the brilliant Tucker Stone and yours truly, the first on the 1960s
Oh, *and* speaking of Tucker Stone, I know I've clued some of you guys in to the great Comic Books Are Burning in Hell podcast, but I should also mention that if you like Wait, What? and you like movie nerdery, you should check out Travis Bickle on the Riviera, a fantastic movie podcast by Tucker and Sean Witzke that is always entertaining and funny and smart. I really should've hyped it sooner but I am Lay-Zee (Kryptonian scientist and wastrel).
Whew! So between this episode and all of the above, you should have enough to keep you busy during our two week absence, right?
8:03-10:35: But here's some comics talk--about Action Comics #15 by Morrison, Morales, and crew.
10:35-12:53: (Graeme also really liked Doctor Who #3 by Brandon Seifert & Philip Bond.)
12:53-17:10: Because it was a free comic on Comixology, we also discuss the first issue of the Star Trek/Dr. Who Assimilation2 comic by Tony Lee and J.K. Woodward.
17:10-44:32: Question! from Matthew Ishii (and Dave Clarke): “'Re: Leinil Yu overselling emotion in scenes. I was at a talk by Colleen Doran (comic writer and artist on a bunch of things) who criticized the comics industry as a whole trending towards this, because of the impact of Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. You guys are all about Kirby, do you think this is a fair comparison.' I'd be interested to hear you guys talk about that, as a guy who loved manga and hated superheroes his entire childhood." We also talk about the current situation with Gail Simone and DC. We also bleep ourselves. (Maybe for the first time ever?) We also talk more about what the hell DC is thinking? Also, Graeme gives a New52 pitch for Scooter that is, frankly, stellar. And since he's been rereading the Fourth World Omnibus, we also discuss Kirby (because how can we not?) and his amazing run on Jimmy Olsen. And also Geoff Johns. (Oh, god. I really should've broken all these out into individual time-stamp entries. Sorry!)
44:32-53:27: Question! from Matthew Ishii: "Q: What comics are famous and considered classics, when the writing was mediocre but the art elevated it? Likewise, name some comics where the art was pulled from good to great by the coloring or the inking."
53:27-54:19: Non-Question! from David Oakes:
"'Waiters' Are Fans, Forgo Long Explanation"
54:19-57:35: Question! from Dan Billings: "Why is it so hard to drop books? I am heading into the shop today and realize I am reading 16 books – money-wise, that’s crazy and quality-wise, there are not 16 good books coming out this week. Or is this something I should address with my therapist instead?"
57:35-1:02:56: Question! from Ian Brill: "This has nothing to do with comics but I want to ask Graeme something I’m surprised it took me this long to figure out to ask. When you’re writing career started was it difficult to switch to the American spelling of words? Do you sometimes find your original education colouring your spelling choices, leading you to have to apologise to your editors?"
1:02:56-1:03:18: INTERMISSION ONE (of one!)
1:03:18-1:14:43: And we're back and right into… Question! from moose n squirrel: "What’s the deal with Alan Moore and rape? […] Somewhat related to this, a second question: if all the horrible sexist shit in comics and comics culture were swapped out with horrible racist shit, do you think comics readers would take the same ho-hum attitude towards it all? Like, if Alan Moore put scenes of, I don’t know, Black people being lynched in all of his comics, would people just shrug and say, “oh well, that’s Alan Moore, when you read an Alan Moore comic you’re bound to get some gratuitous lynching” the way they seem to do with his gratuitous rape, or would they see some line being crossed? Is it the case that comics culture is grossly sexist and racist to boot? Or is there a reason why it’s sexist but not (as) racist?"
1:14:43-1:17:35: Question! from T: "Also, do you think such a think as “house styles” still exist at the Big 2, either for whole companies (e.g. a “Marvel Style”) or for lines within companies (e.g. the “Vertigo style,” the 90s X-Men Harras house style, the Weisinger Superman house style, the Schwartz Bronze Age Superman House style, the Schwartz Silver Age House style), etc. If there are current house styles at the Big 2, what are they? Are they art-based house styles, like when people used to say there was a “cartoony art” house style in the Berganza Superman books? Is it a writing-based house style, like people claim Ultimates had in the beginning. Is it a comprehensive art/writing house style like the 90s X-books had? If there are no more things as unique house styles at the big 2 anymore, what do you consider to be the last example of a true, unique “house style” in the Big 2?"
1:17:35-1:19:38: Question! from T: "Oh, last question: Does the abysmal state of Jeph Loeb’s writing for the past year show that he’s gotten somehow much worse than he used to be, or is it proof that his earlier, praised work was overrated and is now due for critical reappraisal?"
1:19:38-1:25:31: Question! from T: "Okay, Marvel or DC promises you they will hand over the reins of your all-time favorite character or concept to a certain writer for a guaranteed 100-issue run, and this run will not only be the only place to read about your favorite character or concept, but no one else will be allowed to write said character or concept during this duration, this 100-issue run will have zero editorial edicts and the writers will have total free rein over the concept and can do whatever they want. Also, if you don’t accept this deal, there will be no comics, adaptations, guest appearances, or anything with your favorite character or concept for a 10 year period. Yes, a 10 year moratorium, even if we’re talking Batman, Justice League, Avengers, or Wolverine. (Okay, so this is a far-fetched, impossible concept I know, but just go with it). Your choices are:
1) Jeph Loeb 2) Brad Meltzer 3) Chuck Austen 4) Mark Millar 5) Brian Bendis
Which one do you trust the most with your favorite character/concept?"
1:25:31-1:32:09: Question! from Ben Lipman: "What’s the deal with people acting like Alan Moore is the only writer with rape in his works? Isn’t he just working within the tropes/archetypes of the genres he works in? Isn’t it weird to ignore all the acts of violence in his works, to only focus on the sexual violence? Moore has a rep for writing about rape, despite that sex fills his works and is mostly shown shown as a positive life-affirming experience – I would say positive sexual encounters far outweigh the negative one’s in his works. Is it perhaps the fans/commentators who are in fact fixated on rape? Did JG Ballard have to put up with this shit? What would it take for Jeff to end his financial boycott of Marvel? What steps do they need to take to get him back?"
1:32:09-1:32:56: Question! from Adam Lipkin: "It seems that the inevitable “Wait, What?” Drinking Game has to have a rule requiring listeners to take a drink every time Jeff talks about editing something out and then never actually doing so. But after the last episode, there needs to be a rule for times when he talks about editing something out and then actually does so (but still tells us something was cut). Is that a sip, a chug, or some other amount?"
1:32:56-1:37:04: Question! from gary: "Graeme, if you had to replace Jeff with another host from world of comics (writers, artists, editors, etc), who would you replace him with and why? Jeff, if you had to replace Graeme with another host from the world of comics (writers, artists, editors, etc), who would you replace him with and why? And together, if you had to take on a third person on this podcast, who do you think would fit into the rhythms of your podcast?"
1:37:04-1:40:52: Question! from gary: "If you were given free reign of What If, what would be the titles of your first 3 “What Ifs”? Also, if you were given free reign of Elseworlds, what would be your first 3 genre mash-em ups?"
1:40:52-1:42:32: Question! from Tim Rifenburg: "I was curious if you guys specifically use a pull list for certain books or do most of your buying “off the rack”. Would you be buying less books if you did not have a pull list?"
1:42:32-1:45:12: Question! from Matthew Murray: "In light of recent news what are some lost gems of Vertigo? What uncollected series should we be searching back issue bins for?"
1:45:12-1:50:08: Question! from Brock Landers: "Also, coming from the generation who entered comics when the Wolfman/Perez Teen Titans and Claremont/Byrne X-men were the two biggest books, I had this notion. Have DC horribly mishandled the Teen Titans franchise since Wolfman/Perez or was it just a product of it’s time and it doesn’t have the same conceptual vitality and depth as the X-men?"
1:50:08-1:52:50: Question! from gary: "What comic book by Matt Fraction is most like a Waffle Cone? What Matt Fraction comic book is least like a Waffle Cone? Please elaborate on both."
1:52:50-1:54:13: Question! from Kag: "Where should we, as comic readers, be hoping Karen Berger lands? At an existing mid-major (IDW/Dark Horse)? At an existing “art house” (Top Shelf/Koyama)? At a major publishing house (Random House/Penguin)? Or do we want her launching a startup?
1:54:13-2:11:43: Then, instead of going on to the next question(!), we decide we should turn to Jeff's cobbled together "Best of/Last Minute Comic Book Gift List," cobbled together in part from my introductions. As mentioned herein, this list is far from exhaustive and there are so many tremendous works out this year I didn't read that I almost didn't put together a list.
Anyway, because I want you to have access to something like a list from me, here it is:
- Empowered Vol. 7 by Adam Warren: Didn't get enough love this year I thought. The fight scenes in this book are master classes in comic book pacing and storytelling. Blew my mind.
- Action Comics #9 by Grant Morrison, Gene Ha & others: An amazing single-issue comic, a jaw-dropping act of bravado in a work-for-hire context, and a surprisingly persuasive defense of work-for-hire.
- Double Barrel by Zander Cannon and Kevin Cannon: If you have any kind of access to a digital comics reader, you should check out this great serialization/anthology/comic book clubhouse.
- Pope Hats by Ethan Rilly (issue #3): Not cheap, but a beautifully illustrated story about a real and recognizable world that is all the more enchanting for it.
- Saga & Multiple Warheads: Two strangely similar-but-different casual sci-fi epics, one from Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples, the other from Brandon Graham (whose other title Prophet just missed making this list).
- Marvel: The Untold Story by Sean Howe: Not a comic but an amazing (and amazingly ambitious) history of Marvel Comics.
- New Deadwardians by Dan Abnett and I.N.J. Culbard: A spiffy little read and will make a great trade.
- The Voyeurs by Gabrielle Bell: Turns out this left Graeme cold, but I really loved this collection of quasi-dreamlike autobio comics.
- Bandette by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover: Digital-only, and the three issues to date are gorgeous, funny, and fun.
- Popeye #3 by Roger Langridge and Tom Neely: A fantastic single issue where all of the love and craft by Langridge and Neely manages to transcend any of my reservations about work-for-hire being done in the style of the original creator.
- The Lovely Horrible Stuff by Eddie Campbell: Only $4.99 if you buy it digitally (which is how I read it) and the way Campbell uses various digital tools made the book feel like one of the first real "digital" comics I'd ever read. Disquieting and fascinating.
- Gisele issues of Archie (esp. Archie #636 by Gisele): I love Gisele, and apparently I love gender-flipped Archie and gender-flipped Jughead. Yikes.
- American Barbarian and Final Frontier by Tom Scioli: Read one in print, the other online [link: ] and I adored them both. Of course, I'm probably the perfect audience for Scioli's strongly Kirby-influenced style but I really admire how he tries to find a balance with pastiche work that is neither post-ironic nor knowingly arch. It's super-sophisticated in its primitivism, I think.
- The End of the Fucking World by Charles Forsman: An addictively dark mini-comic that uses its format for maximum effect. Forsman's a guy I can't wait to see more of.
- King City by Brandon Graham: Realized the trade of this only got collected this year, so some people may not have discovered it until this year…maybe you haven't discovered it yet? If so, you should: it's a canny and addictive blend of slice-of-life and sci-fi adventure comics.
Other stuff Jeff dug: The Valiant reboot; Shonen Jump Alpha; 2000 AD Digital; the digital reprints of Crying Freeman over at Dark Horse Digital; the second and final volume of the Kamandi Omnibus by Jack Kirby; and the amazing graphic novel adaptation of Donald Goines' Daddy Cool by Donald Glut and Alfredo Alcala.
Graeme agrees with some but adds three I didn't mention:
- Dustin Harbin's Boxes;
- The Crackle of the Frost by Lorenzo Mattotti and Jorge Zentner; and
- The Nao of Brown by Glyn Dillon
2:10:45-End: Closing Comments! Best wishes for the holidays and the New Year! Join us in 2013 for more fun, yeah?
Oh, and right--the podcast itself! That would be helpful to include, right? I mean, it's on iTunes and everything, but that's not everything, is it? No, not by half, it's not! Feel free to warm your Christmas ears below:
Wait, What? Ep. 110: Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow
And as always, we hope you enjoy...and thanks for listening!
NOT on sale on 12/19/2012
/A poster in the comments thread in the "arriving" thread mentioned a few books I didn't list -- that's because they are NOT meant on sale on 12/19. These books are to be HELD until 12/26, and any store that DOES sell them (in person, or online) is breaking Street Date and, frankly, is a giant cad.
It is important that we keep Street because it was a right we fought incredibly hard for (for over 20 years!), that increases the professionalism of stores. Seriously, to be able to have a full day to process orders, to merchandise your store, to ensure every pull is 100% accurate, to be able to have a night's sleep and take a shower between the most grueling labor of any given week and when the customers want to buy the comics -- these are vital and important things to the honest working retailers.
Someone will break street, we all know it -- either because they can't keep it in their pants, or because they're stupid and don't understand how to read, or even because they're just plain malicious -- but you the consumer can show your support of street dates by refusing to buy any of these books before 10/26, and telling a violating retailer why. You could also report the violation directly to Diamond, though I know why a lot of people would feel hinky about that.
Anyway, don't buy these books before 12/26 -- in store OR on-line! -- those of us who fought tool and nail for Street Dates will thank you.
| PREMIER VENDORS |
| DARK HORSE COMICS | |
| EERIE PRESENTS EL CID HC (AUG120059) | STAR WARS OMNIBUS: THE CLONE WARS TP VOLUME 3: THE REPUBLIC FALLS (AUG120080) |
| DC ENTERTAINMENT | ||
| BEFORE WATCHMEN: NITE OWL #4 (Reg./Var.: OCT120144 / OCT120145; Combo Pk.: OCT120146) NOTE: Not final cover | JUSTICE LEAGUE #15 (Reg./Var./ Throne of Atlantis/BW: OCT120147 / OCT120148 / OCT120149 / OCT120150; Combo Pk.: OCT120151) | AQUAMAN #15 (Reg./Var./ Throne of Atlantis/ We Can Be Heroes: OCT120152 / OCT120153 / OCT120154/ OCT120155) |
| IMAGE COMICS | |
| MARA #1 (OF 6) (MR) (OCT120448) | HIP FLASK: OURBOROUS (MR) (OCT120450) |
| MARVEL COMICS |
| AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #15.1 (OCT120625) |
| AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #700 | |||
| Regular (OCT120626) | Ditko Variant (OCT120627) | 50th Anniversary Variant (OCT120628) | Martin Variant (OCT120629) |
| Ramos Wraparound Variant (OCT120630) | Coipel Variant (OCT120631) | ||
| Quesada Variant (OCT120632) | |||
| COMIC VENDORS |
| AVATAR PRESS
CROSSED: BADLANDS #20 |
|
| Regular Cover (OCT120842) | Wrap Cover (OCT120843) |
| Torture Cover (OCT120844) | End of the World Cover (OCT120845) |
| Red Crossed Incentive Cover (OCT120846) | |
| BOOM! STUDIOS
DEATHMATCH #1 |
|
| Regular Cover: (OCT120874) | Triple Gatefold (OCT120875) |
| 9.8 CGC Portacio Sketch (OCT120876) Morgue Variant (OCT120877) | |
| DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT |
| THE SHADOW SPECIAL #1 (OCT120992) |
Arriving 12/19/12
/The week before Christmas marks the single largest ship week of the year -- a massive one hundred and four new periodical comic books. Wowsers!
A PLUS X #3 NOW AIRBOY DEADEYE #5 (OF 5) ALAN ROBERT KILLOGY #2 (OF 4) ALL NEW X-MEN #4 NOW AMERICAS GOT POWERS #4 (OF 6) ANGEL & FAITH #17 ASTONISHING X-MEN #57 AVENGERS #2 NOW AVENGERS ARENA #2 NOW BATWOMAN #15 BEFORE WATCHMEN MOLOCH #2 (OF 2) BETTY & VERONICA #263 BETTY & VERONICA DOUBLE DIGEST #208 BIRDS OF PREY #15 BLACK BEETLE NIGHT SHIFT #0 BLUE BEETLE #15 BPRD 1948 #3 (OF 5) BPRD HELL ON EARTH #102 RETURN O/T MASTER #5 (OF 5) BRAVEST WARRIORS #3 (OF 6) CABLE AND X-FORCE #2 NOW CAPTAIN AMERICA #2 NOW CAPTAIN AMERICA AND BLACK WIDOW #640 CAPTAIN MARVEL #8 CARBON GREY VOL 2 #2 (OF 3) CASTLE A CALM BEFORE STORM #1 (OF 5) CATWOMAN #15 CLASSIC POPEYE ONGOING #5 COMEBACK #2 (OF 5) DAREDEVIL #21 DARK HORSE PRESENTS #19 DARK SHADOWS #11 DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #15 DJANGO UNCHAINED #1 (OF 5) EMPOWERED SPECIAL #3 HELL BENT OR HEAVEN SENT EVIL ERNIE #3 FABLES #124 FF #2 NOW FREELANCERS #2 GAMBIT #7 GREEN HORNET #32 GREEN LANTERN #15 (RISE) GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS #15 (RISE) GRIMM FAIRY TALES #80 HAPPY #3 (OF 4) HARBINGER (ONGOING) #7 HAUNT #28 HAWKEYE #6 HELLBLAZER #298 HELLRAISER ROAD BELOW #3 (OF 4) INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK #2 NOW JOE PALOOKA #1 (OF 6) JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #647 NOW JSA LIBERTY FILES THE WHISTLING SKULL #1 (OF 6) JUDGE DREDD #2 LEGION OF SUPER HEROES #15 LOCKE & KEY OMEGA #2 (OF 7) MAGIC WHISTLE #12 MARS ATTACKS #6 MASKS #2 MICHAEL AVON OEMINGS THE VICTORIES #5 (OF 5) MULTIPLE WARHEADS ALPHABET TO INFINITY #3 (OF 4) NIGHTWING #15 (DOTF) NOWHERE MEN #2 NUMBER 13 #1 RACHEL RISING #13 RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #15 (DOTF) RIPD CITY O/T DAMNED #2 (OF 4) ROTTEN APPLE ONE SHOT SAGA #8 SCARLET SPIDER #12.1 SECRET AVENGERS #35 SIMPSONS COMICS #197 SIXTH GUN #27 SONIC UNIVERSE #47 STAR TREK 100 PAGE SPECTACULAR WINTER 2012 STAR TREK NEXT GENERATION HIVE #3 STAR TREK TNG DOCTOR WHO ASSIMILATION #8 STAR WARS AGENT O/T EMPIRE HARD TARGETS #3 (OF 5) STAR WARS DAWN O/T JEDI PRISONER OF BOGAN #2 (OF 5) SUPER DINOSAUR #16 SUPERGIRL #15 SUPREME #67 SWORD OF SORCERY #3 THE SPIDER #7 THIEF OF THIEVES #11 THOR GOD OF THUNDER #3 NOW THUNDERBOLTS #2 NOW TRANSFUSION #2 (OF 3) ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #18 ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #19 UNCANNY X-FORCE #35 UNWRITTEN #44 VENOM #28 WASTELAND #42 WHERE IS JAKE ELLIS #2 (OF 5) WITCH DOCTOR MALPRACTICE #2 (OF 6) WITCHBLADE #162 WOLVERINE AND X-MEN #22 WONDER WOMAN #15 X-FACTOR #249 X-MEN LEGACY #3 NOW X-O MANOWAR (ONGOING) #8 X-TREME X-MEN #8 YOUNG JUSTICE #23
Books / Mags / Stuff ALLIANCE OF THE CURIOUS HC AVENGERS BY BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS PREM HC VOL 04 AVX AVENGERS MYTHOS TP BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS DVD PT 1 BEFORE THE INCAL CLASS COLL HC BEST OF SONIC THE HEDGEHOG TP VOL 01 CAPTAIN MARVEL TP VOL 01 IN PURSUIT OF FLIGHT CHEW TP VOL 06 SPACE CAKES ELEPHANTMEN TP VOL 05 DEVILISH FUNCTIONS FF BY JONATHAN HICKMAN TP VOL 03 HALO TP FALL OF REACH INVASION INCREDIBLE HULK BY JASON AARON HC VOL 02 INVINCIBLE IRON MAN PREM HC VOL 11 FUTURE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN TP VOL 09 DEMON JEREMIAH OMNIBUS HC VOL 02 JUDGE DREDD COMPLETE BRIAN BOLLAND HC MAD MAGAZINE #519 NANCY CHRISTMAS GN VOL 02 COMPLETE DAILIES 1946-1948 POGO COMP SYNDICATED STRIPS HC VOL 02 BALDERDASH ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW TP SPACEHAWK TP WOLVERTON SPARROW HC BOX SET ASHLEY WOOD SPIDER-MAN TROUBLE ON HORIZON TP WOLVERINE AND X-MEN BY JASON AARON PREM HC VOL 04 AVX WOLVERINE BACK IN JAPAN TP X-MEN LEGACY BACK TO SCHOOL TP
What looks good to YOU?
-B
"Any retailer who doesn't know how to order a comic by issue #7 is bad at thier job"
/(Which I must have read 10 times in the last 2 days, from 10 different people) OK, so let's talk about how one might need more copies by issue #7 (for crying out loud!), using some Actual Numbers.
SAGA #1 went through five printings. They declined to do a sixth printing (as the trade was imminent), and this appears to have happened in mid-to-late August (I say "appear", because all I can factually check is when I was no longer able to have an order fill -- but it could have been a day or multiple weeks before that that the last printing officially sold out nationally)
At the point there were no more copies of #1 for sale, I stopped reordering #2-6, since, typically, customers want to start at the beginning. Therefore, it is possible (and, perhaps, likely) that my sales on #2, 4 and 5 might have potentially been higher if I kept rolling. #3 and #6 had leftover copies come off my racks (in November!) as "biffage" -- I also think that, had there been a 6th printing of #1, I would have KEPT selling more of all of the issues.
We've also been aware of SAGA's sales potential since issue #1, and have ACTIVELY been TRYING to grow the book.
These are my ACTUAL sales for SAGA, expressed as a percentage of #1:
#1: 100%
#2: 65%
#3: 60% (remember -- I had copies "left over" after a FULL SIX months on the rack!)
#4: 52%
#5: 52%
#6: 49% (also had "biffage" here, of about 10% of initials)
So, given this (ABSOLUTELY NORMAL) pattern, how many copies of #7 would YOU order? Remember, if you guess wrong, YOU pay for those books and insulate your attic, just like the long boxes worth you pull from your rack every other month.
What *I* did was:
#7: 55%
#8: 52%
In other words, I ordered MORE copies of #7 than either #4, 5, or 6 sold in about 90 days, give or take.
Today we're at 31 days on sale on #7, and I've sold 49% of #1, but more importantly, my current velocity on #7 shows we're selling an average of 1 copy per day, so I will be sold out before the first of the year, if things hold steady. But... I want to have copies of #7 on sale, in theory, until the night before the second trade paperback comes out -- in May or June. That's six more months, or maybe like another doubling or tripling of current sales. I don't *think* I'll have a-copy-a-day velocity for SIX months, but the current trend says we *might*.
So how do I order the 2nd printing? the "right" number, assuming "we don't want to do a third printing", especially with the excellent discount Image will be offering is somewhere between 50 and 150 more copies. That's a pretty stupidly big range, however, and I'm almost positive that I have to order on the lower edge of that.
More than that, how do I order #8 and #9 and #10, are they going to keep up that high? I also will "need" each future issue a little shorter timeframe then the one for it, presuming that the second trade release abrogates most of the market need for single releases.
Mathematically, it is *possible* (but not very probable) that I *might* sell more copies of #7 than I did of #1, by the time we get to June, IF there's copies TO sell...but actually taking on THAT much stock? Kind of not plausible -- especially when #8-12 are not going to be offered at the (frankly) crazily good discount the 2nd prints of #7 will be offered at.
And, remember, I'm ON THIS book (like white on rice), and I'm struggling hard with just how to manage its post-TP success. Now picture a store that WASN'T all over it from day #1:
They ordered (let's make up a number) 10 copies of #1. Unbeknownst to them, they shoulda ordered FIFTY, but they order and sell 10, then reorder, say, 5, then another 5, then ANOTHER 5, then they go "this is nuts" and they go to 10, and those sell out, and there are no more, and they've managed to shift 35 copies of something they thought would sell 10, but they actually COULD have sold 50.
It's much much harder for this guy to reach his maximum potential on this title, because they 1) haven't figured out what that maximum COULD BE, and 2) because they're capped lower because of lack of availability in the sales period as they understand it. EVENTUALLY they'll figure it out, but carrots carrots carrots are the way to help them get them to that point.
Listen: history shows us that on a "growth" book, it is ABSOLUTELY NORMAL that it takes between 13 and 20 issues for the market to actually properly "figure out" the title, and how to order it. This is because the market for new books/comics is ENORMOUS (500+ SKUs each and every month), because MOST books decline, rather than hit big, and because capital is limited.
I hope this helps your understanding of the difficulty of "right sizing" your orders in a predictive fashion.
Any questions?
-B
