On Endings….

31 comments

Posted by: Brian Hibbs on August 31, 2011

Categories: Reviews

Sorry I’ve been so reviewless lately — just stupid swamped between various store bits (CEO and order form being the same week always hits me hard, and we’ve been negotiating to rerack the store, as well as doing our first advertising in a long long time, since DC is making with the 75% co-op on Facebook and Google ads for The New 52), and home stuff (school starting, various PTA duties from the beginning of the year, repainting our downstairs, so we have some rooms that look like a minimalist’s wet dream, while others are a Hoader’s nightmare, boxes and pile of crap teetering everywhere) and then all of my extra-curricular stuff like writing Tilting and crusading various fronts of…  Read More…

Wait, What? Ep. 54: The Men Without Talk Talk Itself

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Posted by: Jeff Lester on August 30, 2011

Categories: Podcasts

Yeahhhh…. so Wait, What? Episode 54 is…kinda long?  I’ve been trying to break these bastards up into two parts so they’re a little less daunting, a little more accessible (kinda), but this sonuvabitch presented no easy way to cut into pieces — the traditional breaking point at around an hour was right when we were in the thick of things — so I thought it was better, in the end, to just give it to you as one prime piece of just-under-two-hours of auditory real estate. And what a fine patch of ear-land it is, I must say!  Graeme and I talk Black Panther: The Man Without Fear Fear Itself; the Internet backlash on Grant Morrison; whether creators are the…  Read More…

Creator vs. Critic #2– Abhay interviews Mark Sable re: Mat Brinkman’s MULTIFORCE

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Posted by: Abhay Khosla on August 29, 2011

Categories: Interviews

WOLVES AND MOOSE!  THE RATTLESNAKE AND THE MONGOOSE!  COMIC CREATORS AND COMIC CRITICS! NATURAL ENEMIES ENGAGED IN A TERRIFYING DANCE OF DEATH.  BUT UNLIKE THE LAMBADA, THIS DANCE IS NOT FORBIDDEN, FOR THIS DANCE IS CALLED… CREATOR VS. CRITIC In the CREATOR corner, hailing from the mean streets of Hollywood, California– Mark Sable… author of GROUNDED, HAZED, TWO FACE YEAR ONE, CYBORG,TEEN TITANS: COLD CASE, WHAT IF SPIDER-MAN OH WAIT ALL THE JOKES ABHAY CAN THINK OF SEEM KIND OF RACIST NOW, FEARLESS, RIFT RAIDERS, and/or his latest book from Image Comics, GRAVEYARD OF EMPIRES with Paul Azaceta (POTTER’S FIELD, SHI: SHOWDOWN IN BONERTOWN).  In the CRITIC corner, Abhay, author of such controversial  internet facebook status updates as “Iron Man Is Talking All Weird  in FEAR ITSELF“,…  Read More…

Arriving 8/31/2011

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Posted by: Brian Hibbs on

Categories: Shipping Lists

Just two DC comics (including: No Vertigo), and no real attempt by anyone to counterprogram makes this a week with a physically small list of stuff!

This Man, This Birthday!

10 comments

Posted by: John Kane on August 28, 2011

Categories: Reviews

Jack Kirby was born on August 28th 1917. Happy Birthday, Jack Kirby.  Pour a soda pop, cut a slice of cake and put on a funny hat (a crown, perchance) as I talk about a Kirby comic after the break.

New Tilting is up!

4 comments

Posted by: Brian Hibbs on August 26, 2011

Categories: Retailing/Industry

Comic Book Resources has it, as always. Feel free to use this comments section to discuss it, if you like.   -B

Wait, What? Ep. 53.2: In The Case of Jibber v. Jabber

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Posted by: Jeff Lester on August 25, 2011

Categories: Podcasts

Yes, and but so here’s part 2 of Ep. 53, wherein Graeme and I talk at semi-absurd length about The Trial of The Flash (for which I wanted to gank a great picture off Google but couldn’t find anything that really grabbed me), Mark Millar’s run on Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Fallout #6, Wonder Woman: Retroactive, a troubling trend with Diamond’s distribution, and a few other topics. If it’s not on iTunes yet, it should be! But you can also listen to it here as the mood suits you: Wait, What? Ep. 53.2: In The Case of Jibber v. Jabber Also, as previously mentioned, we have an email address, waitwhatpodcast[AT]gmail.com, and we heartily invite you to send us news, gossip, or…  Read More…

The most insane thing I have ever heard in my life

13 comments

Posted by: Brian Hibbs on August 23, 2011

Categories: Uncategorized

As of yesterday I am 6 months without cigarettes. So I call Blue Shield to see if I can get a rate reduction, on my health insurance. Blue Shield says to me, “No, sir, whether or not you smoke has absolutely nothing to do with insurance rates” !!! How can that POSSIBLY be? I mean, I’m fine that I’m not getting a rate reduction — and I was thinking the demarcation line might be more like a year than six months, at that — but how could it be POSSIBLE that smoking doesn’t have an impact on rates? I said, “Are you telling me that if I pick up a five packs a day habit tomorrow, my rate stays exactly…  Read More…

Wait, What? Ep. 53.1: Why Are They Smiling?

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Posted by: Jeff Lester on

Categories: Podcasts

I kinda like that I’ve decided to call this installment, “Why Are They Smiling?” and I have a this illustration of someone asking “Why are they smiling?” and also maybe someone says it in the very podcast, too. It’s a bit like “Merv Griffin!”, that most excellent Milk & Cheese cartoon, and it’s a bit like that “turtles all the way down” meme, and a bit like that faux-Jack T. Chick Cthulhu strip, and it’s a bit like I have headache and can’t really think of anything especially subtle. So. Due to said headache, I will skip the program notes which I’ve been trying to add (not really sure if they’re helping anyone or not, anyway) and, hmmm, maybe I…  Read More…

Arriving 8/24/2011

12 comments

Posted by: Brian Hibbs on August 22, 2011

Categories: Shipping Lists

It is the last week of the “old” DCU! See it all below the jump!

One thing I’d like to say, that most of you probably can safely ignore

20 comments

Posted by: Brian Hibbs on August 20, 2011

Categories: Retailing/Industry

Generally speaking when there’s a business model that is about one party introducing another to a third, say… Matchmaking, or Headhunting or things like that, that facilitation nets hundreds if not thousands of dollars per client. The starting price in the digital model offered at the moment seems to be something like 15 cents. I can’t see how any retailer, in any industry, under any model could possibly accept any deal where they didn’t keep proprietary control of data/customer/whatever. It sure as heck didn’t work when Borders handed all of their business off over to Amazon for fulfillment. How long does it take the customer to think “but, wait, why do I need Borders in this transaction in the first…  Read More…

“I’m the Kind of Father Who Takes His Son To See Zorro Three Times In One Week!”, Not Comics – Batman LIVE!

5 comments

Posted by: John Kane on August 19, 2011

Categories: Reviews

Me and my spawn went and took a look at: Yup, gonna ramble on about it!

Wait, What? Ep. 52.2: Jerks, Fighters, and Jus’ Folks

23 comments

Posted by: Jeff Lester on August 18, 2011

Categories: Podcasts

I admit it. I love “Our Valued Customers” even though it caters to the worst stereotypes about comic store customers. (Although I had my share of crazy people stories when I worked the counter at CE, none of them ever seemed quite as bad as what apparently walks into Mr. Tim’s store on a weekly basis — and honestly, most of the crazy people we had were “it’s San Francisco and there are mentally ill people on the streets” crazy as opposed to “I must talk to you about Spider-Man so hard spittle is always flying off my lips” crazy.) In any event, none of this is especially relevant to the conclusion to Episode 52 of our podcast, although it…  Read More…

Prose is a Five-Letter Word

4 comments

Posted by: Brian Hibbs on August 17, 2011

Categories: Reviews

(that title somehow made sense in my head) Like I mentioned the other day, between school restarting, working on our September DC relaunch plans, a possible store remodel, us repainting the downstairs at our house, and what seems like 47 other “big” things happening at once, I’ve had a less time for reading comics. It also doesn’t help that giant chunks of prose have been chucked at my head recently as well! So, below the cut, some not-comics reading, even if it is related-to-comics!

Wait, What? Ep. 52.1: Dream Team Supreme

13 comments

Posted by: Jeff Lester on August 16, 2011

Categories: Podcasts

The time has come again for us to answer questions from listeners who follow Graeme and myself on Twitter. It’s always a struggle for Graeme and I to stay on topic long enough to answer everyone’s questions, and the struggle here hits near-epic proportions. For example, I won’t tell you the question, but here’s one of my answers: Jim Starlin, Shade the Changing Man Bill Mantlo and Michael Golden, Green Lantern Steve Gerber with whoever he wants (though it should be Curt Swan), Superman Don McGregor and P. Craig Russell, Wonder Woman Len Wein/Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan, The Demon Michael Fleisher and John Buscema, Claw the Unconquered Steve Englehart and Gil Kane, The Flash Howard Chaykin, Jonny Double Chris…  Read More…

Arriving 8/17/11

8 comments

Posted by: Brian Hibbs on August 15, 2011

Categories: Shipping Lists

Sorry for the silence from me this week — Ben starts school this morning (3rd grade, nutty!), we’re repainting the house, I’ve been negotiating for new racks for the store, planning our ad campaign for the 52 relaunch, etc etc etc… just crazy swamped. HOPEFULLY something this week, but more likely next week from me…. This week’s books below the cut!  

“I am one of those losers that doesn’t have a car.” Comics! Read ‘em with your eyes!

10 comments

Posted by: John Kane on August 12, 2011

Categories: Reviews

While I was waiting for The Boy With The Roast Beef Face to come back off holiday and restore order before the whole country turned into an indoor firework I read some comics.

Craig Thompson @ CE on 9/28

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Posted by: Brian Hibbs on

Categories: Retailing/Industry

It’s a mid-afternoon signing (from 2-4), but we’re shuddering with glee that we’ve got Craig Thompson coming to sign Habibi on September 28. You can find more information here! Hope to see you there! -B

Wait, What? Ep. 51.2: Nothing and All

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Posted by: Jeff Lester on

Categories: Podcasts

What’s that saying? “A day late and a dollar short?” The Early Bird Gets the Podcast Entry?” I don’t know…something like that. In any event, the rousing conclusion to Wait, What? Episode 51 is here with Graeme and myself talking X-Force #12, Captain America and Bucky #620, Witch Doctor #2, Walking Dead #87, Criminal: Last of the Innocent #2, Kirby Genesis #2, Dan Slott’s Spider-Man and Paul Levitz’s Legion of Super-Heroes, and — believe it or not — more. Itunes? Why yes, it’s there (or should be) but it is also very much here, ready to be listened to and perhaps even loved: Wait, What? Ep. 51.2: Nothing and All As always, we hope you enjoy it and appreciate your…  Read More…

Wait, What? Ep. 51.1: You and Me and USM

24 comments

Posted by: Jeff Lester on August 9, 2011

Categories: Podcasts

My hope is the days of iTunes drama is behind us and Wait, What? Ep. 51.1 has already begun a safe and steady trek to your listening device of choice, but if not and it leaves you hanging (as it did some of us for the better part of the week with our last episode), please feel free to listen to it here. It’s got everything you could want in a comics podcast: Graeme McMillan! Miles Morales! Jack Kirby! Nick Spencer! Alan Moore! The library! (Oh, and also me and Marvel and Secret Avengers and legal wrangling as wrangled by two individuals utterly untrained in the art of said wrangling…): Wait, What? Ep. 51.1: You and Me and USM Pull…  Read More…

Arriving 8/10/11

8 comments

Posted by: Brian Hibbs on August 8, 2011

Categories: Shipping Lists

Sweet sweet comical goodness!