Time Keeps On Slipping Into The Fyooo-Chaaaah: Graeme on 3/28 and the deadlines.

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Posted by: Graeme McMillan on March 31, 2007

Categories: Reviews

Is it just me, or did everyone else feel as if we’d never get to the weekend this week? God knows why, but the last five days seemed to go on forever… Luckily, there’s always comics to make things go quickly, even as the work sometimes looks as if things have gone too quickly for the creators involved… GREEN LANTERN #18: There’s one good thing, and one good thing only about this issue, and I say that as a fan of Green Lantern in general and someone who’s semi-enjoyed this series in particular (It’s always nice enough, but seemingly directionless for the most part – The stretch between the first three issues and One Year Later was especially bad). It’s…  Read More…

Not comics: Hibbs on TV

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Posted by: admin on

Categories: Reviews

Missed my last night deadline, but I got some potentially exciting news (or maybe exciting potential news… or maybe even exciting news, potentially) that focused me on that during my (ha ha) “free time” last night. So today I’m going to shoot for TWO posts — one now, one tonight. We’ll see if that works. It’s not comics, no, but I’ve been wanting to make a television post for a while. Up until last year I was maybe watching 4 hours of TV a week, but I’ve been sucked in by the glass teat this season a lot. Modern TV is so strange — there’s almost barely things like traditional “seasons” any more; shows start and stop more or less…  Read More…

You run around and groove like a baggy: Graeme, 3/28, and so on.

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Posted by: Graeme McMillan on March 30, 2007

Categories: Reviews

I really don’t know what’s worse; that I have a Happy Mondays song stuck in my head from out of nowhere, or that I can’t remember the name of it. Is it “Loose Fit” or “Kinky Afro”? It’s the one that rips off “Lady Marmalade” – That’s “Kinky Afro,” isn’t it? I have no idea where it came from or why, but all I can tell you is that it’s making me want to see what Mondays songs are available on iTunes, which can’t be a good thing. Let’s try and distract me, shall we? TEXAS STRANGERS #1: In the nicest way possible, Texas Strangers is the best Saturday morning cartoon that you never saw. The set-up is a weirdly…  Read More…

Two For Thursday, by Hibbs

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Posted by: admin on

Categories: Reviews

I know you don’t care about my excuses (why would you?), but, man taking Ben to the dentist in the AM, and following that with a park trip (MAN, was it a god-damn lovely day at Walter Haas today! More cute moms then I have seen in a long time!), then his nap, then work, the home to try and catch up on news-in-comics-today that I couldn’t do in the morning, and the big pile of mounting emails, and geez, it’s already 10 pm, and I still have 2 hours of work in front of me at least. Sheesh. So just 2 more books here, as fast as I can. I’m going to keep with a “Dwayne McDuffie” theme today,…  Read More…

The Frog Abides: Some Thoughts from Jeff on Sgt. Frog, Vols. 10-12

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Posted by: Jeff Lester on March 29, 2007

Categories: Reviews

Warning: This post contains some spoilers, not the least of which is that I’m a tremendous idiot. Also, this post isn’t so much a series of reviews as probably really a review of a reviewer and therefore eminently skippable. First, you should probably know about my love for Sgt. Frog, a love that I caught from John Jakala off the Interweb a few years back. Jakala had included Sgt. Frog in a list of books he was currently enjoying and, considering nearly every other book he was reading was one of my favorites, I figured I should try out Mine Yoshizaki’s comedy manga about a cute frog-like alien invader living in a house with two kids. Second, you should also…  Read More…

Following in the footsteps of Hibbs: Graeme on the first of the 3/28 books.

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Posted by: Graeme McMillan on

Categories: Reviews

I can’t work out if it’s cunning marketing or stunning mismanagement that the covers to FANTASTIC FOUR #544 and BLACK PANTHER #26 are so similar this week: Both the posed shot of the new Fantastic Four (now with added Black Panther and Storm!) looking tough just before they come to kick your ass. I kind of feel sorry for Storm, because on each cover, she’s the one standing in the back of the shot, her arms raised in a “I’m just about to throw a lightning bolt! No, really!” moment while secretly cursing the fact that her latest outfit is yet another flashback to the one she wore back in the ’70s, but that doesn’t stop me from wondering whether…  Read More…

Crossing the Streams: Hibbs on 3/21 and 3/28

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Posted by: admin on

Categories: Reviews

Well, I didn’t do that much reviewing last week, but I think I made it clear, regardless that the 3/21 PICK OF THE WEEK was THE BRAVE & THE BOLD #2. Kinda decisively, too. PICK OF THE WEAK? Dunno, let me think… looking over the week of comics, I’m sorta hard-pressed to find THE “yuck” book, but I guess I’d lean towards CONVENTION CONFESSIONAL #3, which makes the “standard” indy comic mistake of trying to blame everyone and everything for misfortune except for one’s own work. BOOK / TP OF THE WEEK is a lot easier — my clear pick is FAFHRD & THE GRAY MOUSER. Rollicking adaptation by Chaykin, lovely art by a pre-HELLBOY Mike Mignola, I’m really glad…  Read More…

My secret addiction: Graeme comes clean.

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Posted by: Graeme McMillan on

Categories: Reviews

Am I the only one who has a problem with spoilers? And by problem, I mean “Can’t help myself and end up reading all of them?” I realized this when I sat down to write what was going to be something about last Sunday’s Battlestar Galactica season finale (very short version: It all depends on what they do with the two big plot twists next year. If they follow the “shocks” up with story that makes sense, then I’m sold, but I’m somewhat uncertain that they’re able to actually do that right now. That said, I thought it was very good, with the one major misstep of using a song from real life – I didn’t recognize it from the…  Read More…

Moving? Need Boxes?

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Posted by: admin on March 28, 2007

Categories: Retailing/Industry

Dude, the truck came FOUR hours late today (pulled up at 5:05 pm), so I didn’t even get home until 13 hours after I left this morning. Thus: head aches too much to review. However, this gives me the excuse to post something I keep thinking should mention and keep forgetting to do… If you’re moving, you need boxes. Many many boxes. Boxes are life. Comics are pretty bulky. Really, quite amazingly bulky, really, so comic shops get lots and lots of boxes every week. The nice thing about the boxes they ship our comics in, is that they come with two inner boxes inside the outer box — one box actually contains 3 boxes. And they’re not shitty boxes….  Read More…

More and More: Feedback to Feedback, and A Few More Reviews from Jeff of the 3/21 books.

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Posted by: Jeff Lester on March 27, 2007

Categories: Reviews

Hmmm. You’ll either get multiple reviews from me today (or tomorrow), or I’ll be reviewing books well into next week, or you’ll never find out what I think about any book beyond ‘E.’ Richard Starkings left some very interesting feedback to my review on Hip Flask: Concrete Jungle, and I’m still trying to figure out how to parse my reply. On the one hand, I appreciate that part of the reason why we still haven’t seen the conclusion of this story is that he is dutifully waiting on Ladronn. On the other, Starkings’ justification for why it’s okay for him to sell a thirty dollar book of all middle is that he’s paid much, much more than that (“NO ONE…  Read More…

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the: Graeme finishes 3/21 books, and just in time.

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Posted by: Graeme McMillan on

Categories: Reviews

The final (?) cat update for now: She’s home and relaxing, with a belly entirely shaved from all the doctorin’ and scanning that she’s had to go through in the last couple of days. Her heart, it turns out, is enlarged because of liquid inside it that they’re still not entirely sure about, but all her test results checked out remarkably well; we literally went from being told that maybe we should get ready to say goodbye on Sunday night to everything apparently being alright a day later. We’re monitoring her breathing – and as a result, both of us have real problems with the idea of leaving her alone in the house while we have work today, but what…  Read More…

Arriving 3/28

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Posted by: admin on

Categories: Shipping Lists

I, haha, kinda forgot it was order form week, which is why I haven’t posted since Friday. Whoopsie. I’ll be back with some content tomorrow. Meanwhile, here’s what’s coming on Wednesday: 100 BULLETS #82 2000 AD #1527 2000 AD #1528 24 NIGHTFALL #5 (OF 6) 52 WEEK #47 A G SUPER EROTIC ANTHOLOGY #54 (A) ACTION COMICS #847 BATMAN #664 BETTY & VERONICA DOUBLE DIGEST #150 BLACK PANTHER #26 BLUE BEETLE #13 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER VAR CVR NEW PTG #1 CAPTAIN AMERICA 2ND PTG EPTING VAR #25 CW CARTOON NETWORK BLOCK PARTY #31 CATWOMAN #65 CITY OF HEROES #18 CONNOR HAWKE DRAGONS BLOOD #5 (OF 6) CROSSING MIDNIGHT #5 DAREDEVIL #95 DEVI #9 DMZ #17 ELEPHANTMEN #8 FABLES #59…  Read More…

What I Read and How I Read it, Part I: Jeff and the 3/21 Books.

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Posted by: Jeff Lester on March 26, 2007

Categories: Reviews

First, is it wrong to be a prayin’ man about an action movie? Point of Impact is one of my favorite sniper dude novels (although I’ve loved all of the Swagger books by Stephen Hunter) and I’m kind of worried about its adaptation, Shooter which came out this weekend. I mean, they certainly could’ve done worse than getting Mark Wahlberg for the lead (at one point, our man Keanu Reeves was attached, which would’ve been awful) but I’m worried about the director Antoine Fuqua who’s done at least one good action movie (Training Day) and at least one absolutely turdy one (King Arthur). Have any other Point of Impact fans seen Shooter? Will I hate it? It’s times like this…  Read More…

My lack of surprise: Graeme looks at Vertigo, 3/21.

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Posted by: Graeme McMillan on

Categories: Reviews

For those of you who want a sick cat update, we’re waiting to hear more but she seems to have an enlarged heart, which is what’s causing her to breathe erratically. Of course, what caused the enlarged heart and vomiting is something that the doctors are still investigating, using both the highest and most expensive of technologies. Nonetheless, both Kate and myself are wusslike emotional wrecks about the whole thing, and pretending to investigate the possibility of turning her into an immortal cyborg cat so that we don’t have to deal with this again in the future (Perhaps an immortal cyborg cat assassin, so that way she could pay us back for the cost of the cyborg parts. Who knows?)…  Read More…

Save The Date & Spread The News: CE’s Pre-Ape Signing for April 20, 2007!

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Posted by: Jeff Lester on March 25, 2007

Categories: Retailing/Industry

Okay, this has been in the hopper for a while, but I didn’t get that gorgeous green light until just last week. We’re having a signing from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 20, 2007 and I think it’s a pretty big deal. Y’see, when this year’s guests at APE were announced, I kinda lost my mind. So many great guests this year! I went to Hibbs and begged him to get some sort of signing together which he consented to as long as I organized it. So if this post doesn’t make much sense, or seems quasi-unhinged, please understand: not only am I tremendously whacked out because this is the first signing I’ve ever organized, but–more importantly–the signing…  Read More…

Excuse me while I seem distracted: Graeme continues to plow through 3/21 books.

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Posted by: Graeme McMillan on

Categories: Reviews

Ah, the joys of pet-parenting; Kate and I are just back from the Pet Hospital on 9th Avenue, after dropping off our cat for an overnight stay because she’s having trouble breathing and not vomiting over our carpets. I’m trying to think comics, but really I’m flashing to imagined images of a little black cat hooked up with IV drips and a thermometer sticking out her mouth. BIRDS OF PREY #104: I don’t know if there’s a difference between “You didn’t see that last page coming!” because it’s a well set-up, yet unforeseen plot twist that, in retrospect, makes a lot of sense, or because it literally comes out of nowhere with no foreshadowing or reason to particularly exist. I…  Read More…

A Quick One While He’s Away: Graeme and a book that didn’t come out this week after all.

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Posted by: Graeme McMillan on March 24, 2007

Categories: Reviews

A short one today, because I’m tired and a wuss. It’s been a long and strange week, what can I say? KING CITY Volume 1: Proof that this whole internet thing has legs: I picked this graphic novel by Brandon Graham up not because I knew anything about it, or was familiar with Graham’s work, but purely because I’d read a couple of positive reviews (by, I think, Chris Butcher and Kevin Church?) and was curious. Luckily, it worked out – This is an unusual but enjoyable book that’s very much of its own thing even as it wears its influences on it’s sleeve. If you added Eduardo Risso, Paul Pope and Pete Fowler together, you’d have something that looked…  Read More…

What the fuck is wrong with people?

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Posted by: admin on March 23, 2007

Categories: Uncategorized

No seriously, what the fuck IS wrong with people? Yesterday, I went into the store to find out some stupid piece of shit decided to graffiti all over the windows up and down Divisadero st. Graffiti is a part of urban living, I suppose, though it is one that I’ve never really understood. If 99% of the people who see it can’t read it, don’t know what it means, don’t understand your affiliation, and think you’re a ignorant asshole for doing it, then I don’t see the benefit whatsoever. The different between “the usual” graffiti and yesterday’s adventure, is that the small-dicked little morons used acid to “etch” the windows, which permanently stains them, and is (as I understand it)…  Read More…

Two Kinds of Heartbreak: A Quick Look at Hip Flask and Yukiko’s Spinach

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Posted by: Jeff Lester on

Categories: Reviews

What a relief. I felt really, really shitty yesterday and my main thought of the day was something like, “No! Can’t…get…sick! Must…change….blog’s…reputation…for being…unhealthy!” And today I feel a million times better. I’m still sticking to my new theory, however, which is that blogging on a regular basis makes you ill. It takes up so much time you can’t spend as much time in front of the Renewvo Regeneratron (or “Playstation 2,” as it’s more popularly known) as you need in order to stay healthy. Anyway, before I get set to go open the store I thought there was a very faint link between the following two books: HIP FLASK CONCRETE JUNGLE: See, this book breaks my heart. It’s a collection…  Read More…

Yes, I’m really posting before I go to work today: Graeme, 3/21 books, etc.

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Posted by: Graeme McMillan on

Categories: Reviews

You know what I’m surprised that I haven’t seen this week? More outrage about the latest New Avengers solicitation (which, if you haven’t seen it, is this: “No hype! No BS! The most important last page of any Marvel comic this year! Do not miss it!” That’s it, apart from the credits and other infomation about length, price, etc.). It was only, what, three years ago (two years ago, maybe?) that the comics internet was falling over itself in outrage about the claim that House of M #3 would break the internet in half, so the near-total silence about the New Avengers line (which even starts “No hype! No BS!” just to bait people) has to be some kind of…  Read More…

Change For Change’s Sake: Hibbs’ on 3/21 part, uh, 3?

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Posted by: admin on March 22, 2007

Categories: Reviews

Everyone’s out of the house, blessed silence is mine for an hour or so, hurrah! So… work on Onomatopoeia (everyone hit their deadlines EARLY, hurray!), or do some reviews? I better review, because if I hold THAT til night, then I’m too cranky, and only do 1-2 books, and I can do Onomatopoeia in “neutral” much easier… AQUAMAN: SWORD OF ATLANTIS #50: I’ve said several times that I just don’t care about Atlantis too much, but this issue got me a lot closer with a number of new and fairly interesting additions to the concept. Heck, it even has the (re)introduction of A’s “sidekick” Topo. But, ultimately, I still didn’t care that much about it, and I think it has…  Read More…