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Read more about the article On the Shelves: 2/7/07

On the Shelves: 2/7/07

Reading is fundamental. Don’t waste your time reading bad comics out of habit!

My weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 2/7/07. The full shipping list, as always, is available at ComicList.

[NOTE: Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. If your LCBS offers a pre-ordering service, be sure to take advantage of it. If not, find another one; or try Khepri.com or MidtownComics.com]

PICK OF THE WEEK

The American WayBOOM! STUDIOS
Cthulhu Tales Rising One Shot, $6.99
Tag Cursed #1 (Of 5), $3.99

I’m not a Cthulu fan, but Boom!’s previous effort seems to have worked for those who are, and it’s nice to see them sticking with the anthology format. *** The first Tag mini-series ended rather abruptly but set up an interesting enough premise that I’ll probably check out the sequel if I don’t gag on the too-steep $3.99 cover price.

DC COMICS
American Way TPB, $19.99
Batman Year One Deluxe SC, $14.99
Detective Comics #828, $2.99
Helmet Of Fate Sargon The Sorcerer #1, $2.99
Jonah Hex #16, $2.99
Shazam The Monster Society Of Evil #1 (Of 4), $5.99

American Way narrowly missed making my Best of 2006 list, but it was an excellent read and one of the most underrated titles of the year. Hopefully more people check it out in TPB form. *** I’m up to the 5th volume of Jeff Smith’s colorized Bone series from Scholastic and am completely and utterly hooked. As a result, I’m curious to check out his take on the Big Red Cheese.

DEVILS DUE PUBLISHING
GI Joe Americas Elite #20, $3.50

When did the cover price go up?!?! [checks…] Ah, as of this issue, the conclusion of two-issue transitional arc. Not cool! $3 is my tipping point for comics, when I think a little bit harder about whether or not I really need to buy a particular title. I’ve been enjoying this latest version of G.I. Joe, but with a new creative team coming onboard, a price increase is like a “Jump-off Point” neon sign.

(more…)

Continue ReadingOn the Shelves: 2/7/07
Read more about the article Make the F***ing Comics

Make the F***ing Comics

Cheryl Lynn of Digital Femme, frustrated by the state of the comics union, nails the solution: "I can see that I am going to have to make the fucking comics. ...right now I'm doing the second easiest thing. And that is to not-so-politely bitch. Because I suppose I'm still hoping that someone else will make the fucking comics. Because there are a ton of people out there with infinitely more talent and monetary resources than I possess. People who already have an established reputation and a publishing house that adores them. And I don't. But they don't give a damn.…

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Read more about the article For Black History Month: Flashback

For Black History Month: Flashback

I have a love-hate relationship with Black History Month, simultaneously appreciating the thought behind it while despising its continued necessity. As such, I'm not planning to make a big deal about it 'round these parts; it's a thing for less diverse sites and blogs to take note of, an opportunity to pay lip service to diversity for the next 28 days before returning to the status quo. (Cynical? Not me!) That said, in light of some recent relevant discussions across the blogiverse, I thought I'd "reprint" the first really good post I ever made here (and to-date, still one of…

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Read more about the article Let’s Stop Blaming Retailers, and Start Blaming Publishers

Let’s Stop Blaming Retailers, and Start Blaming Publishers

This started out as a quick comment over at The Beat, in reference to someone blaming retailers for dim road ahead for the recently canceled The Boys series, post-DC, because retailers will order less copies from the eventual new publisher thanks to the likelihood of lower discounts than they receive from DC.It's a knee-jerk response, and one I've made often in general reference to retailers who focus only on the Big Two, but in thinking about it, I've changed my mind a bit.Marvel/DC-only retailers are like the corner bodega: they stock a basic supply of staple goods from major suppliers…

Continue ReadingLet’s Stop Blaming Retailers, and Start Blaming Publishers
Read more about the article "Driving Bigger Wedges in to Society"

"Driving Bigger Wedges in to Society"

I was going to sit this one out but it really does fall right into my wheelhouse...The unflappable Loren Javier has been hosting a handful of interesting debates over the past couple of weeks at his One Diverse Comic Book Nation blog -- which is showing promising signs of becoming exactly the kind of niche site I think the comics internet needs -- and I've jumped into a couple of them, partly because I appreciate the civil tone he sets, even when he's being unfairly attacked.After mixing it up with Gail Simone yesterday over The All New Atom, I finally…

Continue Reading"Driving Bigger Wedges in to Society"
Read more about the article On The Shelves: 1/31/07

On The Shelves: 1/31/07

Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit! My weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 1/31/07. The full shipping list, as always, is available at ComicList. [NOTE: Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. If your LCBS offers a pre-ordering service, be sure to take advantage of it. If not, find another one; or try Khepri.com or MidtownComics.com] PICK OF THE WEEK Why Are You Doing This?DC COMICS Batman And The Mad Monk #6 (Of 6), $3.50 Blue Beetle #11, $2.99 Uncle Sam And The Freedom Fighters #7…

Continue ReadingOn The Shelves: 1/31/07
Read more about the article Numbers Game: Shuffling Deck Chairs on the Titanic

Numbers Game: Shuffling Deck Chairs on the Titanic

Marc-Oliver Frisch's always enlightening sales analysis is now posted at The Beat, looking at DC's estimated numbers for December 2006, and buried towards the end is a very interesting breakdown of the Average Sales per Title of their three primary imprints. I've spotlighted the DCU as a point of interest:DC UNIVERSE12/2003: 29,26312/2004: 36,92512/2005: 44,99312/2006: 44,641---------------6 months: -12.6%1 year : - 0.8%2 years : +20.9%3 years : +52.6%As would be expected, the main DCU has seen some impressive growth over the past three years, fueled largely by Infinite Crisis and its numerous lead-ins, crossovers, tie-ins and spinoffs. What's hidden beneath that…

Continue ReadingNumbers Game: Shuffling Deck Chairs on the Titanic

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