Only in a Local Comic Shop
How do you get your comics? Online subscription service, a pull list at a LCS, or old fashioned walk ups are all fine ways to keep your comic monkey fed. I hate to admit I use all three methods. Each has its benefits and I figured the best way to get the most is to keep all three going. My hardcover purchases are always made online to get the best discount available and I don’t have to lug the tomes home from the store since delivery is part of the online experience. My Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus was almost half off cover price at Discount Comic Book Service and all fifteen pounds of it were delivered to my doorstep. When I want to talk comics with other comic geeks I make sure I have a few dollars to drop on Wednesday when I visit Gary’s Comics in Morgantown West Virginia. The staff and customers are like a family with Gary at the head of the table. I have gotten great recommendations and a few back issue runs to get me caught up with a current title. I make sure to take a late lunch on Wednesday’s just so I can escape to Gary’s and geek out for 30 minutes. Finally I have a pull list at my local comic shop in San Francisco. Sure I could consolidate but then I might miss something. I mean how many people get to buy their comics on both coasts each week?
If I were just concerned about the money I’d go online for everything but there are some experiences that can only happen in a comic shop. Today my fiancee Stacey and I went to our local comic shop to pick up my pull list and the new Buffy issue. The store owner James was in the process of planning for an upcoming artist appearance. Later this month J.H Williams III (http://www.jhwilliams3.com/wp-content/plugins/falbum/wp/album.php?show=recent) will make an appearance at Isotope Comic Lounge. There he will display and sell pages that include Batman issues 667-668. I just read these books yesterday and while I am still trying to figure out the Grant Morrison story the art immediately blew me away. I thought it was different and rich, that was until James asked if would like to see the original pages. For the next 25 minutes Stacey, James and I carefully examined each page and panel. My appreciation for the artist is twenty fold now. The amount of effort and detail that went into these pages was breathtaking. J.H. Williams inks himself and he also plays with white overspray, water colors, and red splatters on his pages. I can only imagine how much these pages are worth. We were having a deeper connection with the issues now that the actual pen strokes were at our fingertips. Stacey rushed to read the finished comics once we got home and now she wants to follow Batman each month.
We must have looked at over $10,000 worth of original art today. We discussed and studied it page by page. This experience could only have happened in a local comic shop. James and Gary each provide their comic community a place to meet and share. Special events and local flair make these shops special. None of this would have been possible via mail order so please be sure to support your local comic shop whenever possible. It’s about more than the books; it’s about the community too.
Sean Wheatley has been reading and collecting comics for over 35 years. Send comments and suggestions to: Seanwheatley1@earthlink.net
No commentsDumpster Diving for Comics
I have three nephews, all of them at ages where I can influence their reading habits. I recently discovered that with a little effort and time I could find books at deep discounts that might ignite their interest in comic books. This week I spotlight four books from Overstock.com. At these prices my nephews can beat up these volumes without worry; in fact I hope they wear the covers off.
Other dumpster diving resources include the discount book section of Barnes and Nobles website. The selection there changes often so you have to check back regularly. A little trick I use is to scan the discounted book section of the local store and make a list, and then I find the same books on their website at an even bigger discount.
The selections below can be found at Overstock.com while supplies last.
Marvel Five Fabulous Decades of the World’s Greatest Comics $18.78 by Daniels, Les
http://www.overstock.com/Books-Movies-Music-Games/Marvel/793968/product.html
The Marvel Comics Encyclopedia $25.08 The Complete Guide to the Characters of the Marvel Universe by DK Publishing, Inc.
The DC Comics Encyclopedia $25.08 by Jimenez, Phil
http://www.overstock.com/Books-Movies-Music-Games/The-Dc-Comics-Encyclopedia/1007344/product.html
The Amazing Spider-Man Pop-Up: Marvel True Believers Retro Collection $15.67 by Marvel
Sean Wheatley has been reading and collecting comics for over 35 years. Send comments and suggestions to: Seanwheatley1@earthlink.net
No commentsSummer Slam 2007 or What I Read Last Summer
The Last Fantastic Four Story – Stan Lee & John Romita Jr. – One Shot $4.99
Colors by Civil War veteran Morry Hollowell
Mild Spoilers Follow
I didn’t expect much from this comic and I have to say it delivered exactly that. The packaging, the art, and the included script for the story were excellent it is just too bad that the actual meat of the book couldn’t live up to the high production value of the total package. I won’t give away the full story but suffice it to say that Stan Lee didn’t really stretch himself to weave this tale. The characters seemed flat and the portrayal of the Thing was so far out of character I wondered if Stan remembered the heart he created in Ben Grimm. On the upside the interior colors and art were fun and I especially enjoyed the cameo by the Inhumans. This was the second time this summer I watched Blackbolt open his mouth in an effort to save a world. The major disappointment for me was the resolution of the conflict. It was pure 1970’s DC. The battle unexpectedly turns to favor our heroes, we don’t know why until Reed explains what had happened off panel that turned the battle. This device is neat and clean and oh so easy to write. There is more to the story so if you are “True Believer” you may want to pick this issue up now; otherwise I suggest waiting for the dollar bin.
Bad Boy Trouble! Part 3 – Melanie J. Morgan & Steven Butler – Betty and Veronica Double Digest #153 $3.69
Inks by Marvel legend Al Milgrom
Mild Spoilers Follow
Grim and gritty has finally made it to Riverdale High. This summer Archie Comics celebrated a birthday and radically updated characters that have remained largely unchanged for decades. The four part Bad Boy Trouble has been billed as an experiment to see if there is fan support for reading Archie stories that include current themes and situations. The story revolves around a school yard shakedowns that culminates in one of the wildest fight scenes this side of World War Hulk. Page after page of big punches and a surprise finish that really satisfies this old man. I grew accustomed to the new look within a few panels and the influence of Al Milgrom’s inks gave this updated Archie story an old Marvel feel. The rest of the digest is in the traditional Archie style which should quiet the Betty and Veronica purists out there. If we can support 52 universes at DC then I think we should also make room for the new class of Riverdale.
Amazing Spider-Man #1 / Fantastic Four #1 US Postal Service Limited Edition - Stan Lee & Steve Ditko / Stan Lee & Jack Kirby $19.99 includes sheet of 20 Marvel stamps and 1st day issue envelope
The US Postal Service just released its second series of superhero themed postage stamps. Along with the stamps the USPS also released a number of additional items to commemorate the occasion. I purchased the limited edition reprint of Amazing Spider-Man 1 / Fantastic Four 1 package which included a sheet of the new stamps and a 1st day issue envelope. The best part of the package was the comic, of course. We all know both of these stories but when was the last time you actually sat down and reread the pages in comic form? Steve Ditko’s art is still crazy wonderful and it made me believe that Spidey could hold on to a space capsule re-entering earth’s atmosphere. The Fantastic Four stories also hold up surprising well. The Mole Man reveal and origin still choke me up and the sacrifice he makes at the end is the first of many tragic ends that flow through the Marvel universe to this day.
In addition to three classic reprints the comic also contains enlargements and credits for the covers used on the postage stamps. It is great to see the artists and writers of the classic tales acknowledged this way. This is an easy way to get the next generation interested in the heroes we love.
Sean Wheatley has been reading and collecting comics for over 35 years. Send comments and suggestions to: Seanwheatley1@earthlink.net
No commentsComics Now . . . and Then
The magazine is called Comics Now! so I’d like to launch my column here with a commentary on the current state of comics and how it is really not that different from the state of comics ten or even thirty years ago. When I started reading comics in the 70s the medium was in an interesting place. Comic books were showing up in convenience stores on spinner racks and in supermarkets as part of three packs. This was a change from the newsstand-centric distribution model of the previous decade. Comic book companies were flush with great artistic talent (Romita, Kane, Buscema, Windsor-Smith, etc.). Fans also had a great publication in the Comics Buyer Guide and it seemed like every new TV season brought comic characters into the schedule. The times were ripe for a new age in comics.
Fast forward twenty years and the situation remained the same except for the players. Comics distribution had changed from the spinner racks to direct market outlets. The companies were again flush with great talent (McFarlane, Lee, Keown, etc.). Fans turned to Wizard to get the latest news and reviews. Movies and television continued to mine comic books for stories and character to use in their new seasons.
Another ten years forward and it seems the situations are still the same. Comics are once again poised for a new age. The outlets have continued to expand to now include traditional book stores and online outlets. The trade paperback and the re-release of old material is helping prepare a new generation of caretakers for our hobby. The talent pool is as deep and wide as ever with new artists and writers. Comic fans have a great new magazine, Comics Now!. Television and movies continue to use comic stories and characters. It seems the beat goes on . . . and on . . .
The real difference is me. There was an innocence in the color, adventure, and characters of my youth. I loved it when my heroes left NY because that meant I did too. The cliff hangers at the end of each issue were suspensful since message boards and Previews hadn’t been thought of yet, you had to wait. There was a real anticpation for the next issue. Was Aunt May really going to marry Doc Ock? Comic readers shared and traded comics with friends in the neighborhood. Local comic communitites were sprouting up all over, but they were not connected. I think the strongest memory of my 70s comics was the hero. Comic books provided a sense of escape and they depicted a world where justice did prevail and the evil doers were punished. The adult comic world is very different in this age of Previews, message boards, news sites, and in the expanded coverage traditional media gives comics. Artists and creators seem more important than the characters at times but we now have a truly global community. As an adult I expect a certain return on my comic investment. The story and art need to be worthy of my hard earned dollars. My hobby has plenty of familiarity and comfort but my adult tastes and expectations have changed my view of comics. I still love them, just in a different way.
Sean Wheatley has been reading and collecting comics for over 35 years. Send comments and suggestions to: Seanwheatley1@earthlink.net
No commentsPreviews Code
Well, the September 2007 Previews is available and we are in it. The Previews code for Comics Now! Magazine Issue #1 is SEP07411.
Please pre-order a copy and tell your retailer all about us.
No commentsThe Cover
Here is a sneak peak at the cover of Comics Now! issue 1. It was drawn by the spectacular Jun Bob Kim.
Greatness is coming!
We are so excited! Those of us behind the scenes at Comics Now! are very anxious for the first issue of the magazine to hit the stands. We have put a great deal of effort into the magazine and we hope that enjoy it. We know there are other magazines out there competing for your dollars so we have to make ours better than all the rest.
So give it a try when it comes out. We’re quite certain you won’t be disappointed.
No comments