Drink and Draw
Out next D&D event will be this Thursday, October 10th. It is at the same place as every month, Good Sons and will, as always, start at 8 and run as long as it needs too.
Simple concept, get pint, find seat and draw, sketch or doodle. As always this is a social gathering first and a drawing event second. You do not need to know how to draw to attend. We accept nerds of all kinds.
Return it if you hate it
We are starting a new program that allows you to try some new books we hope you will enjoy and continue with. We are going to point out books that WE can return and will allow you to try them and if you hate them, bring them back for credit.
See, we know that most of the time, unless the book comes with a “Holy Thor, this book is the best thing since sliced bread” exclaimer, why should you try something new. Money is tight and though you want to try new stuff, we get it; we understand. That is why we are so happy when a publisher gives us the ability to order heavy on a book and then return what we don’t sell. We want to pass this option to you.
Not every new book carries this, so, look for the sign on the book when we offer it.
Currently, these books are options for returning, if you hate it:
COFFIN HILL #1 Coming this week!
(W) Caitlin Kittredge (A) Inaki Miranda (CA) Dave Johnson
This new Vertigo book stars Eve Coffin, a rebellious, teenage lowlife from a high-society family with a curse that goes back to the Salem Witch trials.
Following a night of sex, drugs and witchcraft in the woods, Eve wakes up naked, covered in blood and unable to remember how she got there. One friend is missing, one is in a mental ward-and one knows that Eve is responsible.
After a stint as a Boston cop that ends in a bullet wound and unintended celebrity, Eve returns to Coffin Hill, only to discover the darkness that she unleashed ten years ago in the woods was never contained. It continues to seep through the town, cursing the soul of this sleepy Massachusetts hollow, spilling secrets and enacting its revenge.
Set against the haunted backdrop of New England, COFFIN HILL explores what people will do for power and retribution. Noted novelist Caitlin Kittredge, author of the Black London series, brings a smart, mesmerizing style to comics. Artist Inaki Miranda (FABLES) brings his dynamic storytelling to COFFIN HILL, following an acclaimed run on FAIREST.
Hinterkind #1 Arrived last week!
(W) Ian Edginton (A) Francesco Trifogli (CA) Greg Tocchini
Decades after “The Blight” all but wiped out the human race, Mother Nature is taking back what’s hers, and she’s not alone…The Hinterkind have returned.
From the last, lost corners of the world they come, a myriad menagerie of myth and magic…but these aren’t childhood fairytale creatures. They are flesh, blood and passion, and they have a long-simmering hatred for those who drove them into the shadows: The human race!
(Sara has a review of this book below)
ROCKET GIRL #1 Coming this week!
(W) Brandon Montclare (A/CA) Amy Reeder
A teenage cop from a high-tech future is sent back in time to 1986 New York City. Dayoung Johansson is investigating the Quintum Mechanics megacorporation for crimes against time. As she pieces together the clues, she discovers the “future” she calls home – an alternate reality version of 2013 – shouldn’t exist at all!
POWERPUFF GIRLS #1 Arrived last week!
(W/A/CA) Troy Little
Citizens of Townsville, fear not! The Powerpuff Girls are back! In this IDW debut issue Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup are back to take down the meanest of the mean and the ugliest of the ugly! Plus, what fiendish secret is Mojo Jojo hiding? The answer is sure to surprise!
SATELLITE SAM #1
(W) Matt Fraction (A/CA) Howard Chaykin
SEX – DEATH – LIVE TV!
NEW YORK CITY, 1951: The host of beloved daily television serial “Satellite Sam” turns up dead in a flophouse filled with dirty secrets. The police think it was death by natural causes but his son knows there was something more… if only he could sober up long enough to do something about it. This noir mystery shot through with sex and violence exposes the seedy underbelly of the golden age of television.
SEX CRIMINALS #1
(W) Matt Fraction (A/CA) Chip Zdarsky
Suzie’s a normal girl with an extraordinary ability: when she has sex, she stops time. One night she meets John… who has the same gift. And so they do what any other sex-having, time-stopping, couple would do: they rob banks. An odd plot indeed, but one of the best written books this year.
(I reviewed this last week with very a high recommendation)
SIDEKICK #1
(W) J. Michael Straczynski (A) Tom Mandrake, Brian Miller
WITNESS A MODERN HERO’S FALL FROM GRACE!
The Cowl and Flyboy: renowned superhero and sidekick despite dopey names. They were famous, popular, and happy until the Cowl’s assassination. Now, no one takes Flyboy seriously. Follow his trajectory from barely tolerated hero to figure of ridicule, and witness his slow descent into madness, darkness and crime.
Future books with the offer:
Pretty Deadly
Samurai Jack
Sandman Overture
Velvet
This applies to the first book of the series and, of course, will be a limited time offer.
Holiday shipping Schedule
So, this year there will be another skip week were publishers and Diamond decided to cut the amount of product down to a trickle. Part of the reasoning is because of shipping from UPS and the problems with off days they close down cause.
As you may or may not be aware of we get our books on Tuesdays, sort them during the day and have them ready for you Wednesday morning. Sometimes, due to national holidays we have to deal with old school Wednesday arrivals and sorting. I still do not accept their excuses that they can’t get us the product to us on Tuesday, but that is not the point of this, whatever this is, rant, article, irritated ramblings…
So, this year X-mas and New Years day falls on Wednesdays. The skip week will be December 25th books. This all the product you have to look forward to that week:
Dark Horse – Conan vol. 14 TP, Star Wars Knights of the old Republic TP vol. 2
DCE – Forever Evil #4, Justice League #26
IDW – Doctor Who Special 2013, The Saviors #1
Marvel – Origins 2 #1, Avengers 24.now (dumbest name of a book and worst, Marvel non-numbering this year)
Boom! – Deceivers #1
Oni – Lost at Sea HC
Valiant – X-O Manowar vol. 4 TP
…and that is it. No, I’m not kidding, that is all that is coming out that week. Merry Christmas.
These will be on sale on Tuesday, December 24th.
The next week, a regular (though I’m sure not in size) shipment will be in house and ready to go for release on Tuesday, December 31st.
The problem with a skip week, when you don’t have five weeks in a month to deal with it, is that you take a normal month’s worth of product and cram it now into three weeks. This is rough on customers and rough on us. It usually results in people not being able to pick up all their books and boxes start filling up to the point of overflowing. The worst part about putting a skip week the week between Christmas and New Years is this is a week when most people have extra money, kids are out of class and generally there is extra time to “go shopping.” I guess with no, new product, we are supposed to have sales? I don’t know, Diamond doesn’t tell us WHAT to do, they just tell us how it is going to be. (Though whenever these notices are released, it is always with lines like “after consulting with retailers.” Bull. Sh!t.)
Now, to be fair, I do appreciate the fact that they are getting us the product at earlier times and allowing us to put it out on Tuesday. Doesn’t change too much in the end though as we won’t do any extra business on the 24th. We will be open earlier on the 31st, but I’m not sure what exactly the schedule will be.
So, yeah, this sucks, but for once it isn’t just us being screwed in a comic industry decision. As a holiday hero of mine would say “welcome to the party, pal.”
Goon News
If you have read it, you know this is the most important news of the week. Issue 44 of the Goon will arrive on November 27th. Eric Powell has been working on the movie and obviously the book has had to take a back seat.
Joe’s Super List
Friend and customer Joe and I have talked many times about the best comics and what are our own personal favorites. We’ve challenged each other for a list. Joe finished his.
This is his top 25 of the comics that he actually owns. Some of these issues were bought off the rack and some were bought as back issues. He hasn’t included many reprints and notes the ones that are.
Also, Joe says that each could have been a number one comic at one time. This was constructed with a lot of love and really shows a nice diverse collection.
1. BatMan The Dark Knight Returns 1-4.
Not only best BatMan story but the greatest comic book story ever. Batman the way I felt he should have always been done. The first true “shock value” issue ever. I remember ready the story the first time and thinking “what went wrong?”
2. X-Men 135-137. Phoenix saga.
Most will admit one of the greatest stories ever told. Created by one of the greatest teams ever. Story of love and ultimate sacrifice. I paid $5 for it at a convention when I was 15. The most I had ever paid for a comic.
3. Detective Comics 475-476. Sign of the Joker.
Second greatest Batman story ever. Joker at his best. Favorite girlfriend Silver St. Cloud. Marshall Rogers one of the greatest Batman artists.
4. X-Men God Loves Man Kills. Graphic Novel.
Bought this issue on Christmas Eve in 1982 at a comic shop in 1982. It changed the way I looked at comics. Introduced X-Men to the “real world.” Very symbolic of the world we lived in. Just a good story. These were my favorite X-Men.
5. Superman vs. Muhammad Ali.
The dumbest title for a comic I have ever heard. Until I read it. Excellent graphic art and a well articulated story. It looked like Star Wars.
6. Green Lantern Green Arrow 76.
I paid $200 for it. It better be in my top 10. Two superheroes taking a journey of self discovery. One of my proudest issues in my collection.
7. X-Men 141-142. Days of Future Past.
The ultimate Greek tragedy. In the end they will lose. The X-Men know this and they still keep going. This future always hangs over every X-Men story.
8. Avengers 4. Reprint. Intro Captain America.
I don’t usually do reprints but this is from 1966. And I paid $120 for it so it gets in. The captain America story is one of my favorites.
9. New Teen Titans 1. Marv Wolfman, George Perez and Romeo Tangail.
Almost got left off the list. Until I opened it up again and remembered what great work it was. Stole my imagination. 25 years later still one of the best.
10. Spider-Man 121. Death of Gwen Stacy.
Rounding off my top 10. Bought this issue in the last 3 hours of KC Comicon. Went on sale. One of the great stories.
11. X-Men 1.
One of my prized issues. Paid $20 for it about 20 years ago. One of my few original Stan Lee Jack Kirby issues. Where it all began.
12. X-Men 94.
I drove to my first KC Comicon for this issue. The beginning of the X-Men as we know it now. One of my proudest issues.
13. American Flagg 1.
This may be a little high on my list. But the first 3 pages just grabbed me. At the time I was oblivious to the sexual innuendo. Incredible story and art.
14. Legion of SuperHeroes 290-294.
Darkness Saga. Legion at its best. Great multi issue story. Darkseid.
15. Avengers Annual 7.
One of my earliest superhero issues. Great galactic drama. Good vs evil. Did realize at the time it was part of a bigger story.
16. Daredevil 181. Death of Elektra.
I was a daredevil fan but not a Frank Miller fan. Until I read this issue. Awesome Bullseye. Found it at a Hy-Vee in Cedar Rapids. Good thing I had a dollar.
17. LSH Annual 1.
Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen redid the future. Made the future believable. Read it over and over.
18. Teen Titans 2. Deathstroke.
New Titans 1-10 was some of the best work I ever purchased off the rack. 1& 2 was the best.
19. Justice League of America 114.
“Just a Story.” A 10 page reprint from the early 1940s. A non superhero story. I don’t even remember where I bought this issue. Exception to my reprint rule. A million lives, a million dreams, a million hopes.
20. Batman 232. Ra’s Aghul.
Bought the reprint when I was 10. One of the greats. Finally bought the original and had Neal Adams sign it.
21. Death of Captain Marvel. Graphic Novel.
I don’t even know how many times I read this. First graphic novel I ever bought. Jim Stalin is one of the greats.
22. X-Men 160. Magik.
This is the issue that really hooked me. Illyana is still one of my favorites.
23. DC Superstars 18.
Deadman and Phantom Stranger. Halloween. Dark magic. Well detailed thriller mystery. Got it at same HyVee in Cedar Rapids.
24. New Teen Titans 38.
A real non traditional issue. Best origin of Wondergirl. Awesome work.
25. Legion of Superheroes Collector’s Issue.
Paul Levitz & Mike Grell. Some of their best work. Round out the top 25.
26. Batman 404-407. Year One.
This is the plus one to the top 25. Frank Miller’s vision of the origin of the Batman. The way it should have been.
Sara’s Review – HINTERKIND
Sara was mouthing off like usual and I challenged her to write up a review about what she thought of Hinterkind, the new Vertigo book released last week. Here is what she has to say:
As someone who is regularly on the lookout for comics with strong leading ladies, I picked up Hinterkind – the latest “apocalyptic/dystopian future” title that came out on Wednesday. Our main characters are Prosper and Angus – two humans trying to figure out their place in a world where they are no longer at the top of the food chain. Hopefully we will see these characters grow and mature – and hopefully Prosper will be more than just another female archer, à la the Hunger Games trend. Not that it’s a bad trend… but variety is nice. Out of the gate at least Prosper seems smart, capable, and fully dressed. Score! The story starts about 20-30 years after the downfall of humanity – and NATURE has taken back the planet. The “concrete jungle” has become an ACTUAL jungle – trees sprout out of skyscrapers, zebras run along the roof tops… and monsters have returned! Giants, ogres, winged humans, and even a unicorn. Think Y: The Last Man meets Fables. The premise is great and the story holds a lot of potential. This first issue is entertaining, strange, and a solid choice for anyone who’s a fan of mythology and lore. There are a lot of secrets yet to be revealed (like what HAPPENED to cause the fall of human kind) and I’ll definitely be looking forward to the next issue. Come into the shop, check it out, and tell us what YOU think!
Thank you Sara. You are a doll.
It is important to note, Ian Edington is an accomplished writer in English comics. I have read a lot by him released by 2000AD and all of it has been real good. He did a seriously awesome run of comics for Dark Horse ten years ago called Scarlet Traces, which was a side stories and a sequel to the War of the Worlds. One of my favorite things Dark Horse has published.
Sara also wanted to include a poll.
What do you think will cause the end of the human race?
_Aliens/Robots/Alien Robots
_Global warming
_A Solar EMP
_Miley Cyrus’ tongue
_Nanotechnology
_Plague
_Exploding TARDIS
More reviews
Dan has a very good review of the first volume of Captain Marvel. You can find it here. Interesting to note, the writer Kelly Sue Deconnick, who wrote the first two volumes, is the upcoming writer on the new book Pretty Deadly from Image.
CBLDF news
There is a great article up at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund’s site about the erosion of the Fourth Amendment in regards to entry into the US. You might ask, “what does this have to do with comics?” and that would be a valid question. However, with the arrest of one man on his way to Canada over what was deemed questionable Japanese comics, it is one more problem area used for searches and seizures. Read the whole article here. It well worth your time and another reason the CBLDF is the most important entity in comics.