Back On The Beat: Jeff’s Opening Salvo for the 4/25 Books…

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on April 30, 2007

Categories: Reviews

Has not posting in a week-plus left me chops a little rusty? I think so. Last month, Graeme mentioned how daily reviewing turned his brain into a non-stop reviewer-and-rater of everything that happened to him. And while I also had that, I currently find myself swinging toward the other pole–where almost nothing kicks the reviewing portion of my brain into action. I watched four movies last Sunday, for example, ranging from Duck, You Sucker! to The Black Gestapo and the closest I got to critical analysis was “nice explosions” (for Duck, You Sucker!) and “that was probably the best climactic battle between good and evil to ever take place on somebody’s patio” (for The Black Gestapo). So if my reviews…  Read More…

Arriving 5/2

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on

Categories: Shipping Lists

…and here’s the other part of what I did this afternoon… Another big week, it seems like: 100 BULLETS #83 2000 AD #1531 2000 AD #1532 52 WEEK #52 A G SUPER EROTIC ANTHOLOGY #57 (A) ALIEN PIG FARM #1 (OF 4) ALL NEW ATOM #11 ALL NEW OFF HB MARVEL UNIVERSE A TO Z UPDATE #2 AMERICAN VIRGIN #14 ARCHIE & FRIENDS #109 ARCHIE DIGEST #234 ASHLEY WOODS D AIRAIN AVENTURE #2 ASTONISHING X-MEN #21 AVENGERS INITIATIVE #2 CWI BATTLESTAR GALACTICA CYLON APOCALYPSE #3 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #3 CHECKMATE #13 CHUCKY PHOTO CVR B #1 (OF 5) CITY OF OTHERS #2 (OF 4) DANGER GIRL BODY SHOTS #2 (OF 4) DARK TOWER GUNSLINGER BORN #4 (OF 7) DARK…  Read More…

Why I suck (part #48765 in a series)

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on

Categories: Retailing/Industry

Had some knocking-the-wind-out news on Friday, but mostly I had forgotten it was order form/sub form weekend. I should have comics related content posts on MOnday and Tuesday… Meanwhile, here’s the Top 20 of what Comix Experience ordered for June shipping (no specific numbers this time)… 1. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #4 2. ALL STAR SUPERMAN #8 3. COUNTDOWN #47 (I fell for the returnability offer here) COUNTDOWN #46 COUNTDOWN #45 COUNTDOWN #44 7. JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #10 DARK TOWN GUNSLINGER BORN #5 9. JUSTICE #12 (Both covers combined) 10. NEW AVENGERS #31 (taking Marvel on it’s word…) 11. HELLBOY DARKNESS CALLS #3 FLASH FASTEST MAN ALIVE #13 (also returnability offer) BRAVE AND THE BOLD #4 14. BATMAN #667…  Read More…

Modern Art! Makes me! Want to! Rock out!: Graeme loves The Salon.

no comments yet

Posted by: Graeme McMillan on April 29, 2007

Categories: Reviews

It almost feels like an insult to say that THE SALON should be compulsory reading for any course teaching the history of 20th century art; it suggests that the book is some kind of dry, informative, educational text, which couldn’t be further from the truth; someone who has absolutely no knowledge or interest in art could read this book and come away as in love with it as I did, without feeling as if they were being lectured or preached to. But nonetheless, one of the wonderful – and wonderfully sly – things about this book is the way that, almost without you noticing, it tries to explain the thinking behind the cubist movement and introduce you to Gertrude Stein…  Read More…

I always thought they came from the planet Kling: Graeme on another 4/25 book.

no comments yet

Posted by: Graeme McMillan on

Categories: Reviews

These are the following things that I think about when someone says the word “Klingon” to me: * Funny foreheads. * Michael Dorn manages to make a career out of frowning. * Tribbles. * All of those very dull episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine where they talked about Klingon culture and things were very dark and they talk about “honor” a lot. * Please stop saying the word “Klingon”. This is something that I don’t think about when someone says the word “Klingon” to me: * The need for a five-issue miniseries about Klingons published by IDW, especially a miniseries that has a Klingon-language variant of the first issue. Do you see how that…  Read More…

Back From Vacation.

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on April 27, 2007

Categories: Retailing/Industry

Yeah, after the signing, I pretty much zoned out for a week solid. (Hopefully, you noticed.) After a whirlwind 72 hours consisting of the signing, APE, catching four movies with Robson, and getting my car broken into, my brain was little more than a piece of dry, unbuttered toast. So brain-dead was I that I couldn’t even find the new comics I bought from CE for five or six days. (The new Golgo and Drifting Classroom are tucked away in my bag for store reading today.) Anyway, I–oh, hey look! Comic book superstars! This is the best picture I took of our four signers from Friday, in part because it was a hard angle to catch all of them in…  Read More…

Dyn-ohhhhh-miiiiii… Oh, never mind: Graeme gets freebies.

no comments yet

Posted by: Graeme McMillan on

Categories: Reviews

The funniest thing* happened to me on the way to writing this post – I got called out by a publisher. Okay, not called out, exactly, but following my post about Savage Tales, the wonderful (and I’m not even being facetious) Joe Rybandt of Dynamite Entertainment and I ended up in an email exchange about just why I don’t dig Red Sonja. Which resulted in his sending me some Dynamite books after I admitted that I don’t really read them. And here’s the punchline: I still don’t like Red Sonja. But Battlestar Galactica? Not so bad. And The Lone Ranger? Really rather good. When it comes to RED SONJA #21, I suddenly become a boyfriend trying desperately to get out…  Read More…

Hiros, Loglines, and Continuity: Hibbs continues 4/25

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on

Categories: Reviews

Tired. Just a quick in and out tonight. JOHNNY HIRO #1: there’s a real charm in this what-appears-to-be-a one off from Fred Chao via Adhouse books — it has heart, and a decent amount of craft behind it. I had two real problems with it, however. 1) The Pidgin English that Hiro’s girlfriend speaks (“Why you wear my HELLO BUNNY slipper?”). I don’t know, maybe its cool for the Asian-named Chao to use it, but it still made me feel all PC and squirmy inside whenever she opened her mouth. Problem #2 is a bit more serious — nothing Hiro does has any impact on the story, in fact, the entire conflict utterly resolves itself without any need for action…  Read More…

Anger is an energy: Graeme rants, then remembers he’s supposed to review.

no comments yet

Posted by: Graeme McMillan on April 26, 2007

Categories: Reviews

FALLEN SON: THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN AMERICA #2: So, the other day Hibbs and I were talking about the fact that it already feels like the death of Captain America is yesterday’s news. It’s not just that the news cycle has, unsurprisingly, moved on from something that happened, what, a month ago now? But there’s also a sense that, as a fan, I’m feeling kind of washed out with the whole storyline already. Which, considering that Captain America #26 – you know, the issue immediately following Cap’s death with his autopsy and everything – doesn’t ship for another month or so, really can’t be considered a good sign. It’s not Brubaker’s fault, of course; Ed wrote the issues without knowing…  Read More…

Too Much Crossover: Hibbs starts 4/25

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on

Categories: Reviews

52 Week 51: Ah, the end is nigh. Quite a number of “happy endings” in this installment — Buddy and Adam and whatnot — and the solid point to the grand finale, in the form of the New Mister Mind. Frankly, I always liked the big glasses and the radio around his neck myself. Maybe I’m crazy, but the last few issues have been fairly satisfying, and I’m thinking we’ll get a “good enough” resolution in… six days, sheesh. A lot of it is going to depend on just how the resolve the central “52″ mystery (exactly 52 parallel worlds seems to a) miss the point of parallel worlds (that wouldn’t even be three seasons of SLIDERS, would it?), and…  Read More…

Graeme Reviews! and more things that should have punctuation at the end of the title: 4/25 begins!

no comments yet

Posted by: Graeme McMillan on April 25, 2007

Categories: Reviews

Here’s the first thing that’s wrong with AMAZONS ATTACK! #1: That it doesn’t begin with a caption that tells you very clearly that you really should read Wonder Woman #8 before you read the rest of the issue. Even though I’ve been keeping up with the relaunched version of the alphabetically-chested Amazon’s book, I started Amazons Attack! wondering just what the hell was going on, a feeling I could’ve at least partially avoided had I known to read the latest issue of Wonder Woman first, where one of the major “Wait, what?” moments was explained away. Here’s the second thing that’s wrong with Amazons Attack! #1: That it needed a caption explaining that you should read something else to understand…  Read More…

Hibbs does 4/18 (real fast)

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on

Categories: Reviews

Ow, back after 11 hours at the store – this week’s shipment kicked my ass. Man, do I hate it when FCBD books ship the same week as a big week of comics (and frickin’ PREVIEWS and WIZARD – those boys add some WEIGHT) And, OF COURSE, this was the day Rob needed to check out at 5pm so he could make it to some concert somewhere up north (I think…?) Anyway, quick hit on last week before I go for the newest books…. WORLD WAR III: Except for the whole “You shouldn’t buy it!” thing, I’m in total agreement with Graeme on this – I figure you’re a big enough boy to decide on your own how much of…  Read More…

We mean it, man: Graeme doesn’t love The Queen.

no comments yet

Posted by: Graeme McMillan on April 24, 2007

Categories: Reviews

There’s something really kind of sad about GOD SAVE THE QUEEN, the new Vertigo graphic novel by Mike Carey and John Bolton. Not necessarily in the content of the book itself, although it’s hardly the greatest thing that you’ll read this year – or even this week, arguably – but just the fact that it’s being published at all in 2007. For anyone who’s read almost any Vertigo in the past – especially any high-profile Vertigo – then this book seems like nothing so much as the comic book equivalent of a Vertigo tribute cover band. The plot is just a mash-up of old Vertigo series (Look, the main character is a mix of Fairy and human, just like Tim…  Read More…

Arriving 4/25

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on April 23, 2007

Categories: Shipping Lists

Reviews soon, I swear…. 30 DAYS OF NIGHT SPREADING THE DISEASE #5 (OF 5) 52 WEEK #51 ACTION COMICS #848 AMAZONS ATTACK #1 (OF 6) ASTRO CITY THE DARK AGE BOOK TWO #3 BART SIMPSON COMICS #35 BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #5 BETTY & VERONICA #226 BETTY & VERONICA DIGEST #174 BLOWJOB #21 (A) BLUE BEETLE #14 BOOKS WITH PICTURES #3 CARTOON NETWORK BLOCK PARTY #32 CASTLE WAITING VOL II #6 CATWOMAN #66 CONNOR HAWKE DRAGONS BLOOD #6 (OF 6) CROSSING MIDNIGHT #6 DAREDEVIL #96 DEVI #10 DORK TOWER #36 EXILES #93 EXTERMINATORS #16 FALLEN SON DEATH OF CAPTAIN AMERICA AVENGERS FANTASTIC FOUR #545 CWI FIRESTORM THE NUCLEAR MAN #35 HEROES FOR HIRE #9 HUNTERS MOON CVR B #1 (OF 5) JOHNNY…  Read More…

I try to make it up to Dan Didio: Graeme finishes 4/18′s DC books.

no comments yet

Posted by: Graeme McMillan on April 22, 2007

Categories: Reviews

I know, I know; it’s APE this weekend, so I should be all about the indie comics this time out. But there are so many DC comics for me to write about this week, even though I have no idea why I ended up with quite so many… If it helps, expect me to write something about Nick Bertozzi’s The Salon, as well as the new Eddie Campbell and Jeffrey Brown books, in the next couple of weeks. The Bertozzi book alone is very, very good and should be read by many. For now, though, step into the world where Dan Didio rules supreme. THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #3: With every issue of this series, I’m becoming more and…  Read More…

Don’t Rhyme No Mo’: Graeme doesn’t review.

no comments yet

Posted by: Graeme McMillan on

Categories: Uncategorized

So, APE weekend and even though I was too nervous to talk to anyone at the signing yesterday – I’m only exaggerating slightly, sadly – a fine time was still had by all. If I had to nominate a king and queen of the whole thing, it’d be Bryan Lee O’Malley and Hope Larson, who put up with my shyness and appreciated Kate’s food tips never mind their obvious talent and attractiveness (That said, Kate’s food tips are generally always worth listening to). They also let me buy a page of Scott Pilgrim art that is on its way to being displayed in the bathroom, if only because I’ve been told by my lovely wife that every bathroom needs something…  Read More…

Still catching up

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on April 20, 2007

Categories: Retailing/Industry , Site News

I actually thought about changing the name of the blog to Graeme McMillan’s Savage Critic for the week, since he’s been carrying all of our asses this week… Anyway, about 60% of my ComicsPRO emails and calls have been made, I completed ONOMATOPOEIA this morning (gonna be amusing to photocopy it “while” we have a major signing going on), and the new TILTING AT WINDMILLS is up at Newsarama, wherein I talking about the ComicsPRO meeting. Reviewish stuff…soon. BUt probably not before Sunday, honestly. Also, one thing I didn’t get into my column (it didn’t seem to fit the tone), but I pasted it off into Notepad so I wouldn’t lose it: Let’s end this with the third weirdest thing…  Read More…

Reminder….

no comments yet

Posted by: Jeff Lester on

Categories: Retailing/Industry

I keep trying to avoid that situation (which I know is nonetheless inevitable) where I’ll post pictures of the event next week and someone will say, “Hey, I didn’t know that was happening! Why didn’t you post a reminder or something? I even looked at your blog that Friday because I was in town for APE and I didn’t see anything!” If you’re in town around 5, stop by. It’s going to be a tremendous gathering of talent under one roof, and a great way to kick off your APE weekend.

Filling our bathtubs with t-shirts and 8 by 10s: Graeme is tired, plus 4/18.

no comments yet

Posted by: Graeme McMillan on

Categories: Reviews

Is it just me, or has this week been really, exceptionally, surreally long? Perhaps it’s because last weekend was so pleasant that I wasn’t prepared for the shock of the work week, perhaps it because I’ve been looking forward to APE and tonight’s signing all week, perhaps it’s because someone has been messing with all of our clocks and this week really has been 12 days long, but good lord, this has been a ridiculous week. Any time you wake up on a Wednesday and wish that it’s a Friday, you know that you’re going to be a zombie by the time that the real Friday comes around. And I’m not talking cute Minimates version of Marvel Zombies zombie, either….  Read More…

Jeff Apologizes for Not Posting Lately and [Spoiler!] Reviews Some Stuff.

no comments yet

Posted by: Jeff Lester on

Categories: Reviews

This week has flown by scarily fast. Almost a week since I last posted? The signing’s tomorrow? APE is this weekend? I’m like the low-budget version of Rip Van Winkle (and what an underwhelming twist on that classic story I would be: “Last thing I remember is falling asleep after bowling with dwarfs. And when I wake up…it’s one week later!”) (By the way? If you go to the wikipedia entry for Rip Van Winkle–perhaps because you’re unsure if it was dwarfs or ghosts or giants or what Mr. Van Winkle was bowling with–you’ll see there’s a spoiler warning before the plot sypnosis. Ditto for “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” I’m agog at the concept, and will now spend the…  Read More…

Congratulations, but you can congratulate them yourself if you’re around tomorrow…

no comments yet

Posted by: admin on April 19, 2007

Categories: Retailing/Industry

Hey, look, the Eisner Nominations are out. And two names in particular stand out for me: Best Graphic Album—New American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang (First Second) Special Recognition Hope Larson, Gray Horses (Oni) Wow, wouldn’t it be great if the two of them appeared together at a signing along with Kevin Huizenga and Bryan Lee O’Malley? Like, tomorrow, between 5 and 7? I just wanted to get that in before Jeff did.