Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Comic Book Speculation for Fun: Undervalued....Superman: Man of Steel #18...FIRST ...

Bringing my readers'...excuse me...reader's attention to this article (hi Mom).

Comic Book Speculation for Fun: Undervalued....Superman: Man of Steel #18...FIRST ...: Hello Everyone, I felt a little nostalgic upon reading a great article on Superman #75 by Walter Durajlija this week. I clearly remember m...

Thursday, October 17, 2013

PGX will grade and encase The Outliers with the dust cover

Just received this good news from PGX Comics regarding The Outliers:


"Hello David, 
We could include the dust cover in between the inner and outer holder so yes we certainly could. Please make a note about wanting this when you send the books in.  
Thank you,Daniel"

From what I read in one of the forums, CGC has said they won't include the dust-cover, so this is really good news if you want to have the book slabbed intact with the dust cover.

I'm going to send a handful or two of books in early next month (still waiting on some deliveries).  I'll update this post with pictures when get them back from PGX.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

5 Reasons Why the The Incredible Hulk TV Show (1978) is the Best Superhero TV Show of the last 30 Years

I know the temptation is to be smarmy and cynical.  I won't do it.  The Incredible Hulk is and may always be my favorite super-hero tv show of all time.  Here are 5 reasons why:
  1. Each show plays out at a leisurely enough pace to ensure proper and purposeful character development in each episode.  Every show is given a chance to breathe and grow without forcing action.  Action comes - but I never feel like they just needed a ratings Hulk to come crashing through a wall just for an uptick in the Nielson's.  The Incredible Hulk is a testament to the craft of story telling.
  2. The dialog isn't canny and/or corny.  I'm no gamma radiation scientist, but I'm sure some of what they're shooting over my head isn't complete bs.  Also, you can't go on touting the dialog without praising the acting.  Bill Bixby delivered in the role as David Banner.  He played the part passionately, angrily, righteously, and humbly.  As I watch now 30+ years later (and having acted a bit here and there) I really appreciate what he brought to the role of David Banner - he brought manhood.  I cannot leave out the comedy stylings of Lou Ferrigno.  I know that as the Hulk, he was this big, angry, green guy; but Lou Ferrigno played the Hulk as a big, angry, green, guy with a big heart.  Really.  You can see the tenderness of the Hulk when he innocently takes a peanut from the hand of a little girl, or when he sits down and begins petting a tiger cub, or when he sits down and has a meal with a traveler.  Yes, the Hulk is a rampaging beast but he's no monster - Lou Ferrigno captures that.
  3. The soundtrack.  There are few TV show theme songs that can cause such an emotional response as The Lonely Man by Joe Harnell.  In my opinion, only M.A.S.H.'s Suicide is Painless jerks the tears easier.  It plays like a music box that you wind up, press against your ear then slowly open and slowly close just to hear the mechanism engage and disengage over and over.  It reminds you of a slower paced time of your life when your biggest concern was having your homework done in time to watch your TV show because you didn't even know what a VCR was back then.
  4. The introduction.  In each episode (at least in all of the season 1 episodes that I've watched so far) there is a detailed explanation of why David Banner is on the run.  It's beautifully edited and includes the undying line of "Mr. McGee, don't make me angry; you wouldn't like me when I'm angry."
  5. All five seasons are now on Netflix.
I reserve the right to modify and extend my remarks and now yield back the balance of my time.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Outliers Comic Book drying up on ebay

I have been keeping an eye on the low-print comic book called Outliers by Erik Johnson.  This book was a kickstarter campaign that was very well received.  No sooner had the book been shipped that it started showing up on ebay.  The buzz picked up shortly after and the book took off like a rocket selling for $40 - $55 per copy.  Signed copies were priced between $80 - $120.  As with most hot books, the market cooled after a couple weeks; there were simply more sellers than buyers.  Still, the book held above $30.  Today I checked the current ebay listings for Outliers and saw there were only seven (7) listings with the cheapest at $44.99 + $5 shipping.  I contend that the book has dried up enough to stabilize the floor at $45 for a nm copy.  We'll see if I'm right.

Friday, October 4, 2013

Batman The Dark Knight #23.4 - Joker's Daugther review

This probably isn't the worst origin story I've ever read.  It's barely an origin story.  It's basically some flashbacks mixed in with the "present".  I don't want to spoil it for anybody not in the know...so stop reading now.

It's not really....are you still reading but don't want to read spoilers?  Whelp, stop reading then!

Spoilers ahead.

The Joker's Daughter isn't really the Joker's Daughter - it's Duela Dent, daughter of renown psychotic District Attorney, Harvey Dent/Two Face.  She's got issues.  As she dawns the face of the joker and burns burns smiles onto her victims, somebody assumes she's the Joker's Daughter and that's when the hilarity ensues.

This series (villain's month) seems to be pushing everything too fast.  A good origin story takes at least a full book, not a few panels sprinkled in every so often.  I was hoping for a whole book dedicated to the actual origin of Duela Dent - or at least a turning point moment like in Breaking Bad when Walk lets Jane die.  Whoops.  forgot to warn about Breaking Bad spoilers.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

My Midtown Pull List as of October 03, 2013


I don't know the social implications of posting pull lists...so, since I don't know, I've posted it below and probably just to the left of these words you're reading now.  I have never used a pull list until now.  Of course, I've never been that serious about collecting until now.  You won't see a lot of Super-Hero titles on my list because I'm kind of burned out on super-heroes at the moment.  I'm sure they'll make my next pull-list (Hulk, I'm looking at you).

I'm really interested in Pretty Deadly coming out at the end of this month.  Sometimes you can just look at a title and know it's going to start out with a strong readership.  Pretty Deadly is one of those that's going to do very well right out the gate whereas Rat Queens might have to fight for every eyeball...which seems about right after reading the first book (it's very very good).

a. 2 Grindhouse
b. 2 Hinterkind
c. 1 Mocking Dead
d. 5 Other Dead
e. 2 Ghosted
f. 1 Lazarus
g. 1 Peter Panzerfaust
h. 10 Pretty Deadly
I. 2 Rat Queens
J. 1 Reality Check
k. 1 Sex Criminals
l. 1 Three
m. 1 Walking Dead
n. 1 Zero
o. 5 Farlaine The Goblin
p. 1 Mythopolis
q. 5 Outliers
r. 1 Six-Gun Gorilla 
/----end of list----/

What do you think?  Am I missing anything?  Going overboard on anything?

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Dr. Spinecrusher or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Crushing Spines


"Sorry about that."
Well, something sad happened today at my local comic shop.  A *** ****** ******* idiot was running the store while the owner was picking up his distro from Diamond.  I was browsing back issues because I had a furlough day off from work.  I picked up three Tomb Raider #1 variants for a buck a piece and then found one Uber #1 in what has to be the best condition I have ever seen.  Mostly this store has a bunch of beat up crap in the racks.  It's like they just don't give a shit (because 80% of their store is for Magic and Pokemon...and whatever the eff else that I don't bother with).  So, I pulled the Uber and set it on the counter with my other cheapy pulls.  I was going to grab a couple more books so I could get at least $10 worth so I'd get my card stamped.  The idiot asks "You're getting these for sure?" and I replied with "Yes."  He grabs the Uber with his thumb pressed on the spine of the comic.  He ruined the only reason for me to buy the book.  It was just in perfect condition until that.  I think I was in shock because I ignored what happened.  You know how something can be so traumatizing that you mind  blocks it out until you can handle it?  That's what apparently happened here.  Looking back I did see it happen - the next thing I know, I'm looking through one of the mixed up boxes on the floor searching for something that I can't quite remember at that moment what it is.  I was searching through a box marked "The. -- Use."

When I didn't find what I didn't know I was looking for, I got sad inside but didn't know why.  I then grabbed three back issues of Walking Dead Weekly and went back to the counter.  Idiot was on the phone.  There was something wrong with the Uber.  I picked it up, drug my finger ever so gently down the spine and felt the deepest crease I have ever stroked with my fingers...on a comic book.  Before the thumb incident eight minutes earlier, the spine was proudly and prominently bowed out like a brand-new badass book with swagger.  Now...it felt like just another pussy.
Almost happened today

I had a flashback to the panel where the idiot grabbed the book and crushed the spine.  Inside I let out a Darth Vader "NooOOOooooo...!"  As soon as the idiot got off the phone, I let him have it!

"Dude,  you crushed the spine when you grabbed it."
"Did I?  Sorry, I'll give you a discount."
"Naw, I don't really want it now."
"Okay.  Sorry about that."
"It's cool."

Take that, bitch!

*sigh*  Sometimes I feel like I have a crease.

Anyway, I know it's a cheap book - but I was looking into the series after hearing some good things about it.  And this book was clean!  It was 9.8 +.  Just freakin' beautiful...until the thumb.  The moral of the story is:  Give at least half a shit about the product that built your company regardless of what's hot right now.

My dad owns a numismatics shop in Southern California that also deals in the philatelic.  He hates dealing with stamps, now.  But, stamps are part of what made his store the success it is today, so he gives half a shit about the stamps he sells and his customers...his friends...the people that helped make him the success he is today love his store because of it.  They love his store because they know he gives exactly one-half shit about stamps.  If you're a comic shop that sells Magic the Gathering cards plus whatever the eff else not comics - and you don't give half a shit about comics anymore...at least don't crush your customers' spines.

Rat Queens #1 : Review by a Guy That Doesn't Know Much

Son of a.... Rat Queens #1 is a fun read.  Very entertaining.  Funny without being silly.  It's got some great violence too.  It's like Dungeons and Dragons meets Firefly with a dash The Tick.  If that doesn't make you want to buy the book then consider that it's written by Kurtis J. Wiebe, the same guy that writes Peter Panzerfaust (#1 PP selling north of $200).  Plus the artist is John "Roc" Upchurch...the guy who's going to be famous for Rat Queens; who also arted (new word) a series called Vescell, which I will now find and read.

I can't really talk about the book in detail 1. Because I'm a newbie and don't really know what to say about it. 2. Because I don't want to give it away.

It's just, I really liked the book and I wanted to talk about it.  So here I am writing about it.  (Now to get my word count up)  It's very, very, very ,very, very, very, very good.  It's way, way, way, way, way better than other comic books that I've read.

Now, if that doesn't tell it like it is...well then I don't know what (likely not mutually exclusive facts).  Okay, I'll talk about the first part of the book.  The Rat Queens (the "gang" name of our anti-heroines) is arrested after a bar brawl that we find out later was instigated by a rival "gang" member.  I use the word "gang" aptly, yet loosely at the same time.  There doesn't seem to be a territory war of any kind.  The next morning, the sheriff of the town doles out assignments to each of the gangs as a punishment (like if you got one days worth of community service for starting shit in a neutral zone on a PVP server).  And that's when the hilarity ensues.



I might not know much, but I know what's good.
Rat Queens is good.
I give it 5 out of 5 Starshatters.