On the Shelves: 8/16/06

Reading is fundamental. Reading comics is supposed to be FUN, so don't waste your time reading bad ones! Tomorrow is my 37th birthday and I'm particularly feeling it in my knees as the softball season is starting to take its toll! Plus, I'm definitely going to have to get my shoulder checked during the off-season as I'm pretty sure I tore something. Nevertheless, my mutant power has always been denial, so I'll push through it. One thing I can't deny is that my passion for comics has been dialed down several notches recently as I again skipped my weekly visit…

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Why I’m Taking a Break: Exhibit B

Andrew Foley, who's always been refreshingly honest about how the collapse of Speakeasy Comics a while back has affected him, reveals the latest plot twist in that sordid little saga: Apparently, Diamond is still distributing copies of PARTING WAYS--they just aren't going to give any money to me or Scott Mooney. It turns out Adam Fortier still owes Diamond a substantial sum, and at some point, Diamond decided they were going to keep Speakeasy stock and continue to sell it to make up for their loss. Which means: if you got let off the hook and given your property back…

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Why I’m Taking a Break: Exhibit A

Wizard sucks?The first of many weekly video blog posts is now up. In this episode I'm talking about Wizard Magazine. Hardly an interesting subject, I know, but as I was flipping through the latest issue I noticed a few things that made me cringe, made me think and made me want to throw up. Watch and I'll let you figure out which.Yeah, and water's wet. SFW? It's like pushing the unconscious drunk off his barstool: it's easy, but it's not going to sober him up.I've checked out Comic Foundry a couple of times and, while it was certainly better than…

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On The Shelves: 8/9/06

Read GOOD Comics, not just the ones you're used to! Try something new EVERY month. Before I take my first look at this week's list and write a single comment, I should point out the extreme level of disinterest I'm feeling towards comics these days. Like the cynical old man on the porch who hasn't heard a good song in decades, here's my weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 8/9/06. The full shipping is list available at ComicList. [NOTE: Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. If your LCBS offers a pre-ordering service,…

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Time For Another Break…

Posting's been light round these parts recently as the real world's been busier than usual, to the point where I even fell behind on my weekly pickup and am still slogging through the backlog. Too many decent but not great comics, too much non-news coming out of San Diego and Chicago, too many bloggers talking about the same boring subjects -- it all adds up to my being more interested in playing softball (we beat Martha Stewart last week, and the playoffs start tomorrow!) and Knights of the Old Republic (A.D.D.I.C.T.E.D.) than reading and writing about comics.It's break time, methinks.I'll…

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COMMENT: Sesame Street Has a Lesson for Comics

When the question of diversity comes up in comics, it's always interesting to watch the likes of Joe Quesada, Dan DiDio, et al stumble over themselves to not put their foots in their mouths as they cautiously dance around the subject. The New York Times has an interesting article today about Sesame Street's newest female muppet, Abby Cadabby, that has some direct relevance to the comics industry.A Girly-Girl Joins the 'Sesame' BoysLIZ NEALON, executive vice president and creative director of Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind "Sesame Street," wasn't sure exactly what she wanted in a new Muppet for the…

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