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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CBC Quickees: 9/28/05

My To-Read pile is getting out of hand...Black Panther #8: Sigh. Hudlin totally let me down here. After defending the first four issues of his controversial reimagining of the Black Panther, he abruptly wrapped up his first arc without ever answering the primary question his story posed, "Who is the Black Panther?" Then, last issue's pointless, though admittedly entertaining, House of M tie-in, and now this internal continuity confusing crossover with the X-Men, whom he's inexplicably met before and even had some sort of a relationship with Storm!?!? Storm, whom strips down naked and takes to the skies posing as…

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Batman Begins vs. Fantastic Four: Different Paths to Success

The friendly rivalry between Marvel and DC knows no boundaries. What started decades ago in print has now spilled over onto celluloid. About a month apart in their release dates, the iconic figures of Batman in DC's Batman Begins, and Marvel's Fantastic Four battle it out for comic book supremacy on film. Two different paths, two different beginnings, but ultimately, both will win.Batman Begins got off on the right foot from the start by signing its director, Chris Nolan. The film was the beneficiary of a lot of buzz before its release, followed by positive reviews from critics and fanboys…

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Try Something Different: 6/29/05

Support Independent Comics!Independent comics (and manga) being released tomorrow, 6/29/05, 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?AAA MILWAUKEE PUBLISHING CO Essential Arsenic Lullaby Vol 1 HC Sgn, $45.99ABOUT COMICS Licensable Bear #1 (AA), $2.95 Licensable Bear #2, $2.95ALC PUBLISHING Rica Tte Kanji GN, $15.00 Yuri Monogatari GN, $15.00ALIAS ENTERPRISES LLC 10th Muse Vol 2 #2, $2.99 10th Muse Vol 2 Photo Cvr Foil Ed #2, $4.99 Elsinore #2 (Of 9),…

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LINK: What’s Next for Marvel Movies?

Avi Arad, Marvel's chairman and CEO, spoke with MTV.com about where several of the companies nearly 5,000 characters stand with regards to movie prospects, ranging from X-men 3 to Captain America to Cloak & Dagger.X-Men 3: Regarding Jean Grey's possible evolution at the end of the last movie, however, Arad says, "Dark Phoenix should not be the centerpiece of the movie."Wolverine: "2007/2008" film with Wolverine ("Totally different, just Wolverine's journey").Ghost Rider: Scheduled for August 2006, Arad refers to it as a "morality tale," and that it will have a PG-13 rating and a "Southern rock" soundtrack and ethos.Spider-Man 3: Due…

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Try Something Different: 5/24/05

Support Independent Comics!Independent comics (and manga) being released tomorrow, 5/24/05, 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?AAA POP COMICS Golden Plates #2 (Of 12), $7.99AIT/PLANETLAR True Story Swear To God Vol 2 This One Goes To 11 TPB, $12.95ANTARCTIC PRESS AP How To Draw Manga Toning Techniques CD Ed Vol 1 TPB, $24.95AMAZE INK (SLAVE LABOR GRAPHICS) Punch And Judy TPB, $7.95ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS Archie #557, $2.19 Archie Double Digest…

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Review: Batman Begins’ Smallville Preview

WOW should begin and end every sentence when speaking about Batman Begins. Last night, America was treated to a 10-minute preview of the future blockbuster, courtesy of the WB Network. At the end of the preview my first thought was, "WOW!" My second thought was, "Hopefully I won't die before June 15th." It sounds ridiculous, but it's true. That's what I thought.Then I said another "WOW! "It looks like Chris Nolan will have another quality movie under his belt with Batman Begins. If you haven't seen his last two films, do so. Memento is great, and Insomnia is solid.The cinematography…

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