Tucker And Some Comics That Actually Came Out This Week

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Posted by: Tucker Stone on July 31, 2009

Categories: Reviews

Every week, I go to a comic book store and pick out some comics that I want to read and then I read them and then I think about them and then sometimes I write about them. Sometimes I just read stuff because people on the internet say they are totally awesome and full of win. Sometimes those people on the internet are dirty liars with bad taste. Dark Reign: Hawkeye # 4 Some of the Dark Reign books have been pretty entertaining, and that’s not really surprising–Marvel’s got a lot of writers who would clearly prefer writing espionage/crime thrillers, and doing a bunch of short mini-series focusing on shlocky villain characters and hardcore action allows them to ignore the…  Read More…

The mortgage on the cow: Douglas looks at some things from last week and earlier

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Posted by: Douglas Wolk on July 29, 2009

Categories: Reviews

FINAL CRISIS: LEGION OF 3 WORLDS #5: I get the feeling that this OKAY conclusion changed direction somewhere between its conception and its execution–there are a bunch of subplots set up in the earlier installments that either go nowhere at all or get resolved very quickly and for no particular reason (hey, Sun Boy feels good again! There we go). Various new statuses quo are hammered into place (the White Witch has turned into Morpheus or something, the one remaining Triplicate Girl has turned into Madrox or something), Blok gets to say “But at what cost?” twice (there’s also a “But for how long?”), Kid Flash and Superboy strike some heroic poses, and you’d think given half a year of…  Read More…

A polyp in my heart

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Posted by: Brian Hibbs on July 28, 2009

Categories: Reviews

We’ve had a really good summer for graphic novels, haven’t we? There’s universally well received work like THE HUNTER by Darwyn Cooke, and stuff that doesn’t seem to be on anyone’s radar, like THE IMPOSTOR’S DAUGHTER from Laurie Sandell (I thought it was a terrific little book!), but without a doubt, the biggest winner of the summer is ASTERIOS POLYP by David Mazzucchelli. I’m not that great of a critic, really — not like Douglas Wolk, whose review can be found over here — but there’s not another book this year that has lingered in my brain like POLYP. I’ve already re-read it twice, each time picking up new little nuances in color and form. Above all else, this is…  Read More…

Arriving 7/29/2009

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Posted by: Brian Hibbs on July 27, 2009

Categories: Shipping Lists

A quick housecleaning note before this week’s list: I’m pretty strongly aware of how much and/or how few reviews get posted here. This site is my home page everytime I open any browser, so I’m probably more aware of it than you are. I’d very much like to see more posts, but because no one is getting paid for any of this (we, frankly, don’t even cover hosting costs), people are going to post as often as they can based on their own will, and nothing else. So, posting anonymously to a thread some smart-ass comment like “Didn’t this site used to do reviews” is, in fact NOT more likely to get us to post. For me, at least, it…  Read More…

Smidge more on Gaiman

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Posted by: Brian Hibbs on July 21, 2009

Categories: Retailing/Industry

Here’s at least two bloggish posts about the Gaiman signing: First from Matt Maxwell, and the second from Seth Rosenblatt. The latter has this nice pic (if I’m linking correctly, at least) Also, here’s the photodump of pictures that Susan Riddle took. If you know of any other posts, please let me know! -B

Arriving 7/22/2009

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Posted by: Brian Hibbs on July 20, 2009

Categories: Shipping Lists

Look, a list: 100 BULLETS #1 VERTIGO CRIME SAMPLER ALIENS #2 (OF 4) ALL NEW SAVAGE SHE-HULK #4 (OF 4) DKRAMAZING SPIDER-MAN #600ARCHIE #599ATOMIC ROBO SHADOW FROM BEYOND TIME #3 (OF 5)AVENGERS INITIATIVE #26BETTY & VERONICA DIGEST #196BLACK PANTHER 2 #6 DKRBLACKEST NIGHT TALES OF THE CORPS #2 (OF 3)BOYS HEROGASM #3 (OF 6) CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI 13 #15CARS ROOKIE #4 (OF 4) CARTOON NETWORK BLOCK PARTY #59CONAN THE CIMMERIAN #12CYBERFORCE HUNTER KILLER #1 (OF 5) ROCAFORT HUNT KILL CVR ADARK REIGN FANTASTIC FOUR #5 (OF 5) DKRDARK WOLVERINE #76 DKRDEADPOOL SUICIDE KINGS #4 (OF 5)DELLEC #1 TAN CVRDELPHINE #4 DETHKLOK VS THE GOON (ONE SHOT)DOCTOR WHO ROOM WITH A DEJA VIEWEXECUTIVE ASSISTANT IRIS #2 BENITEZ CVRFALL OF CTHULHU…  Read More…

Neil Gaiman is 32 flavors of awesome

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Posted by: Brian Hibbs on

Categories: Retailing/Industry

It was a very very nice event. Neil read from WHO KILLED AMANDA PALMER (which I overnight Saturday deliveried a case of copies in — I should have had THREE cases, damn it; I’ll be restocking those, for sure!) for about a half hour, then we did the signing itself. Despite the fact that he had lunch plans with Daniel Handler, he still took the time to talk to each and every person in line for five minutes or so, and did little head sketches for most of them. He was utterly gracious with his time and attention, and sat through scores of photos, and everything else. We were scheduled to end at 12:30, and, instead, wrapped at something closer…  Read More…

Newest Tilting is up!

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Posted by: Brian Hibbs on July 17, 2009

Categories: Retailing/Industry

Look: it is the new Tilting At Windmills, and here I talk about Neil Gaiman and Tyrese Gibson and Social Networking and Marketing, and how perfect storms are pretty imperfect after all. Some months are a long hard search for a subject, but this month was, in a way, a gift as it was 100% obvious what I HAD to write about. If you don’t/won’t/can’t comment at CBR, well you can say something here (but Jonah’d be more happy if you said something over there, yeah) -B

Arriving 7/15/2009

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Posted by: Brian Hibbs on July 13, 2009

Categories: Shipping Lists

My Family is finally back from a month away (YAY!!!!), and I’m drowning in pre-Gaiman prep, AND i have to write a Tilting this week, so don’t expect to hear anything more from me for another week… Not a ton (numerically) of comics this week, but it’s a real solid batch of titles: 2000 AD PACK JUNE 2009 ACTION COMICS #879AGENTS OF ATLAS #8AIR #11 ALL SELECT COMICS #1 70TH ANNIV SPECIALAMAZING SPIDER-MAN #599 DKRARTESIA BESIEGED #3 (OF 6) (RES) BATMAN STREETS OF GOTHAM #2BETA RAY BILL GODHUNTER #2 (OF 3)BETTY & VERONICA SPECTACULAR #90BLACKEST NIGHT #1 (OF 8)BLACKEST NIGHT TALES OF THE CORPS #1 (OF 3)BRAVE AND THE BOLD #25BUCK ROGERS #2CAPTAIN AMERICA #601CREEPY COMICS #1DARK AVENGERS #7 DAXDARK…  Read More…

And Baby Makes Three: Wait, What Ep. 2.3 with Graeme & Jeff

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Posted by: Jeff Lester on July 10, 2009

Categories: Podcasts

Yes, Friday has arrived and, with it, our final installment of our second podcast. In Wait, What 2.3, Graeme and I discuss PHONOGRAM, DETECTIVE COMICS #854, GREEK STREET #1 and (failed) TV shows KINGS and VIRTUALITY. We hope you enjoy. Now if you excuse me, I have to go back to monitoring the comments and seeing how things are going with Mr. Hibbs and the signing countdown…

Wait, What ep. 2.2: Graeme & Jeff are Strangers in a Strange Bland…

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Posted by: Jeff Lester on July 9, 2009

Categories: Podcasts

I was also thinking about calling this podcast installment “Sympathy For The Devil,” since we talk about Mark Millar and Brian Hitch, the more recent work of Jeph Loeb, and the critical reactions to both CRY FOR JUSTICE #1 and CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN #1 (although not in anything like that order). Also, at no point do I try to make the Transformers noise or use any music from Dirty Dancing, so…in a way, it’s our bestest episode yet? We hope you enjoy.

Chris Reviews CRY FOR just kidding, Wednesday Comics

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Posted by: Chris Eckert on

Categories: Reviews

Wednesday Comics is here, and with it comes nostalgia! No, not for the time before we were born when the Sunday Funnies were enormous canvasses for the geniuses of the day to work their magic. Wednesday Comics instead transports us back to those heady years of 2006-7, when DC was putting out a weekly comic that inspired neither hair-pulling dismay nor polite boredom. Yes, the 52 nostalgia train is boarding! I have always been a sucker for oddly sized comics: even in the midst of trying to pare down my physical collection of comics, I am collecting more huge 1970s Treasury Editions and 1980s Blue Ribbon Digests. This predilection is likely the primary motive for my continued devotion to the…  Read More…

Neil Gaiman At Comix Experience, 7/19: the Facts

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Posted by: Brian Hibbs on July 8, 2009

Categories: Retailing/Industry

(There’s a long, rambly story that goes with this, which you can find here, but just so as to not bury the lede…) Comix Experience is very proud to announce, as part of its ongoing 20th anniversary celebration, a rare San Francisco reading/Q&A/Signing with acclaimed author Neil Gaiman on Sunday, July 19th from 11 AM to 12:30 PM. Later Edit: The event is now completely sold out, and we thank everyone for their interest and patience! -B

Neil Gaiman at Comix Experience, 7/19: The Story

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Posted by: Brian Hibbs on

Categories: Retailing/Industry

OK, so you all remember that 2009 is Comix Experience’s 20th anniversary, right? (April first, to be exact!) Those of you who are actually customers may also note that we didn’t exactly do anything special for it (like a party or something). This is because my plan was to do several events throughout the year to celebrate, probably culminating in that party on the Twenty-First birthday because, y’know, then she’s legal to drink and all. I’d actually been thinking about this for a very long time. How long? Well, it was way back on February 15th, 2006 (!) that I first emailed Neil Gaiman a message with the title “How Is Your 2009 looking?” Neil’s one of those Major League…  Read More…

Numbering? Probably Not Our Strength: Wait, What Ep. 2.1 (or 6) Now Available…

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Posted by: Jeff Lester on

Categories: Podcasts

I’ll try and get this posted quickly so I don’t cockblock Hibbs’ important upcoming post. A new episode of Wait, What is up for your listening pleasure, provide your definition of pleasure hews more closely to ‘random bullshitting around the comics counter’: Graeme and I talk about the proper name for Portland, Greg Rucka, quickly develop a hideous pitch for Angel & The Ape, and cover other geekly topics. For those of you who prefer, y’know, actual reviews? You should wait for the next two installments, but if two grown men agog over the career of a Transformers comic book writer is your idea of a good time, this should do you just fine.

From the vault: Asterios Polyp

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Posted by: Sean T. Collins on July 7, 2009

Categories: Reviews

Yes, you read that headline right. Even though David Mazzucchelli’s long-awaited graphic novel Asterios Polyp doesn’t come out until tomorrow, I some how ended up with a review copy months and months ago–I wanna say 2008, for pete’s sake–so I reviewed the thing on my blog back in March. Now that it’s finally coming out officially, I figured I’d repost the review here (in part to apologize for being an absentee savage these past few months). It’s after the jump… Asterios Polyp David Mazzucchelli, writer/artist Pantheon, June 2009 344 pages, hardcover $29.95 An extraordinarily easy book to read, Asterios Polyp is, I’m finding, a nearly equally extraordinarily difficult book to talk about. Frankly I think I just feel out of…  Read More…

Arriving 7/8/2009

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Posted by: Brian Hibbs on July 6, 2009

Categories: Shipping Lists

This is not a large week, no. But maybe that will help WEDNESDAY COMICS sell… PLUS: Although there was a holiday this weekend, COMICS ARE ARRIVING ON WEDNESDAY. It wasn’t a UPS holiday, so comics as normal this week. ALL STAR SUPERMAN #1 SPECIAL EDITIONAMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #36ANGEL NOT FADE AWAY #3ANITA BLAKE LC NECROMANCER #3 (OF 5) ARCHIE & FRIENDS #133ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #200BATMAN #688BOOSTER GOLD #22BPRD 1947 #1 (OF 5)CARTOON NETWORK ACTION PACK #39DARK X-MEN BEGINNING #1 (OF 3) DAXDARKNESS #78DEAN KOONTZS NEVERMORE #2 (OF 6)DRAFTED ONE HUNDRED DAYS ONE SHOTELEPHANTMEN WAR TOYS YVETTE (ONE SHOT)FROM THE ASHES #2GENEXT UNITED #3 (OF 5)GREEN ARROW BLACK CANARY #22GREEN LANTERN #43 (BLACKEST NIGHT)HOUSE OF MYSTERY #15 I AM LEGION #4…  Read More…

Old English #3

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Posted by: Joe McCulloch on

Categories: Reviews

Conquering Armies This is a softcover book from 1978, perfect bound and b&w and 64 pages for your post-bicentennial $4.95. It’s big, as in “big as Paul Pope’s old oversized books, like Buzz Buzz Comics Magazine or THB Circus,” or almost as big as that new Seth book, George Sprott (1894-1975), or that recent hardcover he designed, The Collected Doug Wright. You know, the one with the infernally gleaming red cover? Hold that thing up to an adequate light source and you can transform an ordinary bathroom into a scene from Flashdance. Of course, that’s how my bathroom is already, but, like Seth, I’m an old-timey kinda guy. To wit: 1978, big ol’ softcover comic, big like the European albums,…  Read More…

Mr. Robinson, You’re Trying To Confuse Me, Aren’t You?

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Posted by: admin on July 5, 2009

Categories: Reviews

Just thought I’d weigh in and remind everyone that Crying For Justice was a time-honored tradition long before James Robinson. Evidence below the cut!

JUSTIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICE! Capsules for 7/2/2009 (We operate on Canadian time up in here)

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Posted by: David Uzumeri on July 4, 2009

Categories: Reviews

This was certainly a week of high-profile titles, although uncharacteristically dominated by DC in that regard (if not in OVERALL output). DC had two A-list releases this week: the second issue of Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s nearly-universally-praised Batman and Robin, and the first issue of James Robinson and Mauro Cascioli’s seven-issue Justice League: Cry for Justice miniseries, a book DC’s seriously promoting (unquestionably to the detriment of the regular Justice League of America title) as one of their major event books of the year. A review of Cascioli’s art is pretty short: if you’re the kind of person who enjoys the stiff realism of Alex Ross, this is your thing. If the stylish, partially cartoonish fluidity of a Frank…  Read More…

A Political Examination Of Sexual Dynamism In The Afrikaner Narrative "Tharg’s Future Shocks"

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Posted by: Tucker Stone on

Categories: Reviews

Nah, this is just more of the Savage Critics ongoing coverage of Justice League: Cry For Justice #1. Never let it be said that I don’t respond to a strongly worded memo from the desk of Mr. Hibbs. I know how to respond to memos. Wolk’s already covered the best possible Insta-Review you can give this piece of shit, Graeme’s already nailed the comparison to that Secret War thing, Hibbs covered the whole “hey, that word looks like gay sort of” thing, and I’m betting the Savage ain’t done with this dead horse yet. And make no mistake: this pony lacked a pulse on arrival, it’s the equivalent of somebody pushing a wheelbarrow full o’ carcass up to the starting…  Read More…