It’s Not the 2/23/05 Comics That Are Brain Dead…

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on February 27, 2005

Categories: Reviews

It’s me, I admit it. My next door neighbor had a noisy lawn party until very late in the night (morning) and I’m running on absurdly little sleep. So if my reviews lack a certain cogent something (like, I dunno, verbs or the like) , I apologize. One would think such a caveat would make me re-think this whole “jamming my opinions down people’s throats” thing, at least for this week, but noooooo. Opinion jamming waits for no man, my friend. Also, because last week’s gentlemanly disposition toward M. Hibbs prevented me from talking shit about Mark Millar, I reserve the right to review any book this week I want. If Bri doesn’t like it, he can double-post. As for…  Read More…

Comics for 2/16/05? Sure, What the Hey….

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on February 22, 2005

Categories: Reviews

Like Hibbs, I also thought Wondercon was a pretty great show. Normally, I find myself getting antsy and worrying I’m missing some panel or some personage signing, and find myself dashing around until I get exhausted and cranky and miserable. (In short, I’m a con newbie.) This year, I just stuck to wandering around the floor, taking the time to take in the sites and dig through dealers’ stock. I was worried for a long time that I couldn’t find anything I considered enough of a deal to plunk down money on, and then found a guy selling all of his stock at a dollar a book, and found some old Kamandis, Fantastic Fours and Brave and The Bolds (Batman…  Read More…

Shipping 2/22

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on February 21, 2005

Categories: Shipping Lists

I should be laying in bed, but I have to get all this work done…. (USE SEP045000) SAVAGE DRAGON #120 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #517 AVENGERS EARTHS MIGHTIEST HEROES #8 (OF 8) BART SIMPSON COMICS #22 BATGIRL #61 BATMAN #637 BATTLE HYMN #1 (Of 5) BETTY & VERONICA SPECTACULAR #69 BIGFOOT #1 (OF 4) BLACK WIDOW #6 (OF 6) BONEYARD #17 BPRD THE DEAD #4 (OF 5) BURGLAR BILL #2 (OF 6) CARTOON NETWORK BLOCK PARTY #6 CONAN #13 DEAD AT 17 REVOLUTION #3 (OF 4) DESPERADOES BANNERS OF GOLD #3 (OF 5) DR BLINK SUPERHERO SHRINK #1 ENNIS & MCCREAS DICKS WINTER FUN SP #1 ERIC REDS CONTAINMENT #2 (OF 4) EXCALIBUR #10 FANTASTIC FOUR #523 FLASH #219 GI JOE #40…  Read More…

The New TILTING is up

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on

Categories: Retailing/Industry

I *do* have a cold, and I’m struggling to get through ONOMATOPOEIA, but at leas the new TILTING AT WINDMILLS is up at http://www.newsarama.com/pages/Tilting/Tilting14.htm Go, read — I think there’s a metric ton of interesting data in there (not just the bits Graeme quoted, either) -B

Oh, WonderCon, my WonderCon

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on February 20, 2005

Categories: Retailing/Industry , Uncategorized

Well, I had a terrific time at WonderCon this weekend. WC has been a weird show for a while — the last few years in Oakland had what looked like declining attendence, and tumbleweeds in the aisle, and the sale of the show to the San Diego ComiCon brought the show to San Francisco 3 years ago. The first two years at the Moscone can be charitbly descibed as marginal, where the show was dwarfed by the space around it, but 2005 was the year that broke big. Friday’s attendence looked solid (for a Friday), but the place was reasonably quiet. This was actually great because it gave me a good chance to get some business done, talk to people…  Read More…

Oh, and….

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on February 17, 2005

Categories: Uncategorized

You may have already seen these two excellent blog entries by John Rogers, if you follow Warren Ellis’s website, but I thought they were pretty spot-on summations of last year’s comics. Particulary the one entitled “Womb Crazy.” Oh my, yes.

New Content! (Kinda!)

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on

Categories: Site News

Hookay, the reviews this week are either coming verrrry late (as in early next week), or they ain’t coming. (Newsletter + Wondercon + some very unavoidable personal appointments=Jeff weeping, tearing what’s left of his hair and fighting with his girlfriend over who gets the last bit of milk) However! Because I had some problems with my new computer and video game addiction and stuff, the last three installments of Fanboy Rampage weren’t put up…until now. Coverage of our Geoff Johns signing, thoughts about DC Countdown (and Christmas), and brief comments about Will Eisner’s passing are now available for your perusal. See? Just like comic book reviews! Only….not.

Shipping 2/16/05

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on February 15, 2005

Categories: Shipping Lists

Oh my, is that a big week for funnybooks….. 100 BULLETS #58 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #637 AMAZING JOY BUZZARDS #2 APOCALYPSE NERD #1 ARCHIE & FRIENDS #89 ASTONISHING X-MEN #8 AUTHORITY REVOLUTION #5 (OF 12) BAG OF ANTEATERS #1 BATMAN GOTHAM KNIGHTS #62 BIRDS OF PREY #79 BOOKS OF MAGICK LIFE DURING WARTIME #8 BRIAN PULIDOS BELLADONNA #4 (Of 5) CABLE DEADPOOL #12 CAPTAIN GRAVITY AND POWER OF THE VRIL #3 CATWOMAN #40 CATWOMAN WHEN IN ROME #4 (OF 6) COSMIC GUARD #6 DAMN NATION #1 (OF 3) DAREDEVIL #70 DAREDEVIL REDEMPTION #2 (OF 6) DARKNESS BLACK SAILS ONE SHOT DARKNESS SUPERMAN #2 (OF 2) DONALD DUCK AND FRIENDS #325 DOOM PATROL #9 DORK TOWER #30 EX MACHINA #8 FAUST…  Read More…

Some 2/9 reviews

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on February 14, 2005

Categories: Reviews

No, Jeff didn’t really leave me with much that I WANTED to talk about, that bastard! It’s OK, because it is Sweetie’s Day around the ol’ Hibbs/Friedman household. I stayed up way late last night creating an elaborate hunt for clues aorund the house leading to this year’s card (and a kiss), so I don’t even really feel like reviewing comics that much today. But here are some, where Lester didn’t already tell you the punchline! :) ALPHA FLIGHT #12: Last issue, and I wish Lester’d done this one actually, becauseof how much he hates Time Travel stories. He could have done a nice compare and contrast with this and JSA this week…. Anyway, yet another stab at AF dies,…  Read More…

Comics for 02/09/05: A Quick Peep….

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on

Categories: Reviews

Hey, all. Sorry this is a bit later than usual–my scheduling’s a little off, I’m fighting a cold, and I’ve been gathering data for my very first trip to an accountant this Thursday. I knew there wasn’t a chance in hell I’d sift through all my receipts if I started writing reviews beforehand, so here’s a few quick reviews to celebrate having that done, and before I go on to the mightmare that is re-organizing my workspace: ACTION COMICS #824: If we’d gotten this, oh, ten issues ago, I probably could’ve worked up some enthusiasm. And I know Supes is prematurely aged here because of kryptonite poisoning, but why does everyone think Superman would get weaker as he got older?…  Read More…

And, As Promised…

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on February 8, 2005

Categories: Reviews

Since Bri actually did post some more (to which I heartily say “fuck, yeah!”), and since it was a pretty great week for trades, I wanted to review of the trades quickly. Actually, it’s such a great week of trades for CE, there’s a ton of good stuff to choose from: Vol. 11 of Battle Royale? Bill & Ted? Gemma Bovary, fresh from an extremely laudatory review by the extremely hard-to-please Michiko Kakutani in The New York Times? Legend of Grimjack? The budget release of The Superman Archives? And I’m just listing the cool stuff I didn’t get. Out of the trades I did pick up, I wanted to briefly mention: BIZARRO WORLD HC: Bri and I disagreed on this…  Read More…

Comics Shipping 2/9/05

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on February 7, 2005

Categories: Shipping Lists

Hey, Graeme will be happy, YOUNG AVENGERS #1 is coming out! 2000 AD #1421 2000 AD #1422 ACTION COMICS #824 ALPHA FLIGHT #12 ALRAUNE #8 ANGELTOWN #4 AQUAMAN #27 AVENGERS EARTHS MIGHTIEST HEROES #7 BATMAN LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #188 BATMAN STRIKES #6 BATMAN THE MAN WHO LAUGHS BERLIN #11 (RES) BIG BANG PRESENTS ULTIMAN FAMILY #1 BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL #98 BLOODHOUND #8 BREACH #2 BRODIES LAW #5 CAPTAIN AMERICA #3 CAPTAIN AMERICA & THE FALCON #12 DISTRICT X #10 DOC FRANKENSTEIN #2 FABLES #34 FADE FROM GRACE #4 FANTASTIC FOUR FOES #2 FISHNET ANGEL JANE DOE #1 FULL CIRKLE CVR B #1 GAMBIT #7 GI JOE MASTER & APPRENTICE VOL II UDON CVR A #1 GOTHAM CENTRAL…  Read More…

Since I said I’d be back with more

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on

Categories: Reviews

Here, at least, is my epiphany about Superman. I didn’t really understand #213. It sounded like Superman saying HE had caused “The Vanishing” because he was upset about earth ending like Krypton. Or something? That’s what I thought I read, at least. Doesn’t make any sense, but there you go. And there’s a page where they’re discussing Kal being sent off to earth in his rocketship and a paragrpah before or later they’re talking about the Phantom Zone, and it hit me: Jor-El is an idiot. Now as I recall my continuity (And my memory is fluid, so maybe I have this wrong), but didn’t Jor-El “invent” the Phantom Zone? Well the projector, I guess. At the least, he’s well…  Read More…

Jeff’s Reviews from 2/2

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on February 5, 2005

Categories: Reviews

Wow. Hibbs posts–twice on the same day, in fact. And on the same week as the release of Bizarro World….Coincidence? Maybe he’ll even post after I post, thus causing our universe to collapse in on itself. That’d be something to see. Oh, and, ostensibly, I don’t care but the fact that Enterprise was cancelled warmed my heart tremendously. You know those fighting games where you got the special move bar that builds over time and depletes with constant use? Let’s just call that bar “quality,” and hope the Star Trek franchise gets time to replenish it now. As for the funny books… ADAM STRANGE #5: My attention seriously dwindled this issue, in part because there was too much Omega Men,…  Read More…

Some reviews from 2/2

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on February 4, 2005

Categories: Reviews

Whaaaaat?!?!?! Brian’s doing it first? Before Jeff even sees it? What the hell planet am I on? Well, Tzipora’s off to the suburbs for chores, and Ben crashed super-early today for his nap — he usually makes it all the way through TELETUBBIES, which ends at 11:30, but today he watched all of the 10am SESAME STREET in my lap, stroking his hair (Episode 4070, jeez I think I’ve watched that one 25 times this year! I’ve seen it more than any other episode, and it’s the WORST at the beginning. That’s the one where Snuffleupagus’ magic ukelale is broken, so he’s stuck invisible, and Big Bird is all sad [Does anyone remember the days when everyone on Sesame Street…  Read More…

A thought on ages…

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on

Categories: Retailing/Industry

Just got an email from John Jackson Miller (Editor at Krause’s COMIC BUYERS GUIDE), which I thought I should share with you as well as my response. This is a little further afield of the usual content of this blog, but I thought that, possibly, it could generate an interesting thread on the comments section. Let’s see, shall we? JJ Wrote: >>>Hi, Bri! Craig Shutt and I are discussing the Bronze Age and its potential terminus, and we got to talking about Legends of the Dark Knight #1. He said you’d made an argument that there are enough problems “from a technical perspective” with using LODK as the divider that you prefer Spider-Man #1 from the following year — but…  Read More…

Shipping 2/2 and some 1/26 wrap up

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on February 2, 2005

Categories: Reviews , Shipping Lists

Yah, yah, I know. It’s already Wednesday, and I’m just getting to this, I suck. We’re going to take Ben to the Zoo today (Free Day at the Zoo, hoorah!), so there’s really no time, and besides I’m days late now. Best thing I read last week? A book from two weeks ago: HELLBLAZER: ALL HIS ENGINES HC. Best JC story I’ve read in quite a while. Since’s Garth’s run, maybe. Terrific stuff, and don’t let the price get to you — thought it was really worth it! Of last week’s actual comics? I thought PLANETARY #22 was great — I don’t even really matter that the through-line plot is getting like a page an issue. I also really liked…  Read More…