COMMENT: On Snobs and Good Comics Shops

I hate snobs. Of any stripe, really; literature, movies, music, TV...I hated them in the poetry scene, where snobbery usually takes the form of condencension towards anyone who was popular and/or topical, without necessarily being the finest craftspeople. I hate them equally in the comics scene, where superhero fans are looked down upon like high school dropouts and [insert late-shipping indie darling du jour here] is offered up as the equivalent of a GED, their first step to a better, more fulfilling four-color life.MEMO TO THE COMICS BLOGIVERSE: Stop trying to tell people that what they read sucks, and what…

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Buzzscope: What’s a Nubian? #1

When I first came across PopCultureShock.com last year, it was the combination of the favorable response in their forums to the announcement of Reggie Hudlin taking on Black Panther (in contrast to the immediate sniping over at NEWSarama and throughout the comics blogosphere, with ignorant comments like, "Oh no! He's going to gangstify the Black Panther!"), and the "Color Commentary" column that surveyed black characters' appearances each month, that landed it a spot in my bookmarks. Of course, Hudlin turned out to be a bit of a dud, and "Color Commentary" disappeared before really fulfilling its promise, but those two…

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Fun With Horoscopes

Every now and then, these things are eeriely appropriate:Use Those IdeasThere is still a lot happening in your sign and in your personal life, Guy. The other great piece of news is that Mercury turns direct at the start of the week. This gives you the green light to go ahead with projects and ideas that have been on the back burner. You will feel a lot better now that you can move forward in confidence and get things moving. Venus moves into Libra on Tuesday, which is wonderful for any new commercial ventures you are involved with. If you…

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Try Something Different: 7/20/05

Support Independent Comics!Independent comics (and manga) being released tomorrow, 7/20/05, courtesy of ComicList. 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.Recommendations, sometimes blind, in BOLD. Which ones are YOU reading?ACTIVE IMAGES Gunpowder Girl & Outlaw Squaw GN, $12.95A. D. VISION Chrono Crusade Manga Vol 6 TPB, $9.99 Cromartie High School Manga Vol 3 TPB, $10.95 Yotsuba Manga Vol 2 TPB, $9.99ALIAS ENTERPRISES LLC Killer Stunts Inc #3 (Of 4), $2.99ANGEL GATE PRESS 10th Muse #1-6 Coll Pack, $6.00ANTARCTIC PRESS AP How To Draw…

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CBC INFO: Ch-ch-ch-changes…

Just a little heads-up on some changes afoot here at CBC. Most significant, in terms of content, is that I will no longer be posting current reviews, including ménage à trois, or interviews here. The Editor is a megalomaniacal control freak who insists on...Oh, wait, wrong site! I'm the Editor here!Seriously, though, last week I signed on with the recently re-launched Buzzscope.com - f/k/a PopCultureShock.com - one of my favorite comics sites that's home to some of the funniest, enlightening, and insightful columns on the internet. They also publish weekly reviews to which I'll be contributing my fair share, starting…

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Eminem really stepped up to the plate with his latest single, Mosh, evoking memories of Public Enemy's Fight the Power glory days and offering a glimmer of hope for rap's going back to the future and becoming relevant again. The animated video is a powerful visual statement as well and needs to go into instant heavy rotation on every music video channel. Watch it now and pass it on. Mosh, Eminem [I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America And to the Republic for which it stands One nation under God Indivisible] It feels so good…

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Luis Cartagena's feature last night was...interesting. He's an acquired taste and what I love about him most is his desire to push the boundaries of so-called performance poetry. He's willing to take risks most of us wouldn't go anywhere near and is always eager for feedback. I spent as much time watching his performance as I did scanning the faces of the audience, variously enthralled, confused and discomfited, sometimes all at once. Using costumes, music and movement - including a bizarre Britney Spears-backed dance interlude - he threw stuff out there that the average poetry audience rarely if ever sees,…

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