Showing posts with label cbr. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cbr. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

The Gates Ombudsman: April 8, 2008.

Yeah, I know I just made two other posts. But this one is going to be a catch all for all the other, smaller new items I want to rant about. It could be a long one. And all over the place.

ITEM!!! I will be attending the New York Comic Con: I know, I know. I have been critical of the NYCC in the past. But it is practically in my back yard and it is quickly becoming a place where my comic loving friends from NEPA and I can meet up.

I will only be going on Friday, however, for those of you who will accept that as a protest. A wedding and Kids in the Hall tickets interfere with me making a weekend out of it.

They are making changes to some of the issues I had with the convention. Not necessarily the changes I think they should make, but at least they are addressing the problems. When I got my ticket, the letter, instead of saying I could proceed directly to the show floor like last year's did, at least alerts me that there will be a line. Why there needs to be a line is beyond me, but at least now I know. Not that knowing does me any good, because I can't get there early, like they recommend, because I have class that day. Of course, if I had a VIP badge, which costs $400, I could get directly in. This is quite a bit more expensive than Wizard's baseline VIP package, and you get far less swag for it.

They also addressed the issue of not everybody getting a chance at an autograph with their special guests (last year, all the ticket were handed out a good 8 hours ahead of schedule due to demand). Their solution? Charge for it! $200 for Mike Mignola and Grant Morrison, $350 for a VIP party with Stan Lee, $500 for a party with Neil Gaiman. The proceeds for the last one go to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, a worthy cause, but the rest I guess the money goes to NYCC. I guess there could be a better way, but at least this give the people who want Grant Morrison's autograph but can't camp out overnight a chance at meeting him.

ITEM! Bill Richardson creates divisive act, calls for unity: I was going to give this one it's own post, but decided against it. I will say this: if you are a man who kept his name in the political spotlight through mentioning his friendship with the Clintons--even going so far as to speak to Anderson Cooper for 10 minutes about watching the Super Bowl with Bill Clinton--then you go and give your Superdelegates to his wife's opponent, you, sir, are a hypocrite and are in no position to ask for unity. And the fact you gave them to Obama after your state voted for Clinton is even worse. Worse yet is the fact that you stated that the Governors should give their Superdelegates to whoever their states votes for makes you the king of all hypocrites. Sure, he might have been just following his own beliefs, but lets just see if he lands a place on Obama's ticket somewhere.

ITEM!! Firefly might be coming out with a special edition of the complete TV series: If I thought for a second that buying this might get another season or movie out of the cast and crew, I'd buy it. But it reeks of the powers that be trying to wring a little more dough out of their fevorent fan base. I mean, really. Will there be enough new stuff on this edition that I have to buy it? If so, why not put it on the first edition in the first place. It's not like you seriously thought it would be this popular at the time, was it?

ITEM!!! Comic Book Resources updates it's look: I don't like it. The old way might not have been fancy, but at least you knew that the left side had news, the right had columns, and the new ones were at the top.

ITEM!! Comics Should Be Good starts its 100 Greatest Creative Team Runs countdown!: The idea is to list the Top 100 creative teams or creators who worked on a book for an extended period of time. Clicking above will take you to 100 to 91, clicking here will take you to 90 to 86.

ITEM!!! Entertainment Weekly runs down the 20 Worst Comic Book Movies: Their definition of "comic book" is a bit stretched. I'm not certain, but I don't believe Brenda Starr ever was a comic book. But, regardless, it is fodder for conversations at your local comic shop.  

ITEM!!! Kids on the Block to reunite: I'm with Joel McHale. I doubt the apocalypse is ever going to arrive. I mean, if this isn't a sign, then nothing is.

ITEM!! Set pictures from The Spirit released: You know, the more I see of this movie, the less I want to see.

ITEM!!! Uwe Boll will stop making movies if they gets 1,000,000 signatures on a petition asking him to stop: Finally! A cause everybody can get behind!

ITEM!!! Fraction and Brubaker off of Iron Fist, Johns and Katz off of Booster Gold, Ellis off of Thunderbolts: My reactions, in order:1) Noooooooooooooooo!!!!! (Swierczynski is, really, no replacement), 2) Noooooooooo!!! (If DC really wanted to give fans a treat, they'd have Jurgens take over the writing as well. 3) Wait a minute? Marvel is still publishing Thunderbolts? (No, seriously, are they still publishing Thunderbolts?)

ITEM!!!: Marvel fan is a contestant on Deal or No Deal: Spoiler alert: The guy opens a million on the first case. The banker reveals himself to be Mephisto and offers to put the million back in play if the guy gives up his marriage.

ITEM!!! New Guiding Lines columns published: There's a link to all of them.

ITEM!!! Also, my article on the Geppi Entertainment Museum is posted: Click above for the link to that.



Saturday, December 1, 2007

I mock the DC and Marvel solicitations.

It's been a couple months, but this is back again.

ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER #9
Written by Frank Miller
Art and cover by Jim Lee & Scott Williams
Variant cover by Neal Adams
The Dynamic Duo: yellow-bellied? Green Lantern tries to convince Batman & Robin to fall in line, but the pair takes him to school…in color theory!
Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. For every 10 copies of the Standard Edition (with a cover by Jim Lee & Scott WIlliams), retailers may order one copy of the Variant Edition (with a cover by Neal Adams). Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.
On sale February 27 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

  • My prediction? The phrase "I'm the goddamn yellow Batman" will be uttered. And the comic will suck.

BATMAN #674
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Tony Daniel & Jonathan Glapion
Cover by Daniel
More secrets of Batman are revealed! Batman finds himself in a torture chamber facing the last and deadliest of the three Batman replacements…and finally learns the tragic story of how they came to be! With a shocking appearance by Bat-Mite, this tale leads to more revelations about the young Batman's participation in a bizarre isolation experiment as we learn how the terrifying consequences of his actions will alter the Dark Knight's life in the months to come.
On sale February 27 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

  • Bat-Mite? Really?

DETECTIVE COMICS #841
Written by Paul Dini
Art by Dustin Nguyen & Derek Fridolfs
Cover by Nguyen
Scarface and the new Ventriloquist make their deadly return to DETECTIVE COMICS in a story destined to surprise readers! Plus, Zatanna guest-stars in this special tale!
On sale February 6 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

  • DC should just let Dini write a Zatanna series already. I mean, it's obvious what he wants to do the most. And this way we won't have to see him shoehorn Zatanna into Detective every other month.

ROBIN #171
Written by Chuck Dixon
Art by Chris Batista & Cam Smith
Cover by Tony Daniel
Violet's shady spoils are piling up as fast as Robin's girl troubles…and he's dealing with some spoils of his own. His all-nighters are sending his relationship with Zoanne off the rails - literally - and his visions of Stephanie around every corner have to be just that…right? Meanwhile, two of Gotham's finest want to get in on the super-hero racket with Robin's help, when Robin likes it or not!
On sale February 20 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

  • I think DC could have tried harder. I mean, only two uses of the world "spoil" in the solicitation? C'mon! I expect better. And it should be "whether Robin likes it or not" not "when".

SUPERMAN/BATMAN #46
Written by Michael Green & Mike Johnson
Art and cover by Shane Davis & Matt Banning
A new color of Kryptonite is introduced as Superman's quest sends him after Metallo! But is Superman willing to ignore everything he stands for and rip out Metallo's heart? What strange places will Batman venture to in order to save the day? Zatanna guest stars in this tale constructed by Michael Green (Heroes) & Mike Johnson with art by emerging superstar Shane Davis (MYSTERY IN SPACE)!
On sale February 20 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

  • Ooh! A new color of Kryptonite! Wow! I got to pick this one up! And does Dini know someone is using Zatanna behind his back?

BLUE BEETLE #24
Written by John Rogers
Art and cover by Rafael Albuquerque
Lost in space! The Reach brings its Scarab home - and Jaime Reyes is about to die far from his, while knowing that his family and allies will be next. His salvation lies deep within the Blue Beetle legacy; it'll take a hero's efforts to find it. Don't miss the shocking ending to this issue!
On sale February 27o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

  • I hope the ending of the book isn't the ending of the series. This is one of the best on the market.

FANTASTIC FOUR #554
Written by MARK MILLAR
Pencils & Cover by BRYAN HITCH
MARK MILLAR! BRYAN HITCH! Need we say more? All right, we will! Who is Mrs. Fantastic? And how will her return into Reed's life rock comicdom's First Family? Also, get ready to meet the Invisible Woman's brand NEW super-team! This issue kicks off a year-long storyline that will make FANTASTIC FOUR "The World's ULTIMATEST Comic Magazine!" Promise!
32 PGS./Rated A…$2.99

  • Yeah, sounds exciting. But when only two issues come out a year, the excitement will start to wane.

FANTASTIC FOUR: THE LOST ADVENTURE
Written by STAN LEE
Pencils & Cover by JACK KIRBY
IT'S THE COMIC BOOK EQUIVALENT OF A LOST BEATLES TRACK! Together, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby produced 102 consecutive issues of FANTASTIC FOUR. But there was a 103rd story they'd begun in 1970, but never finished-until now! Working from copies of Jack's penciled pages, Stan Lee and Joe Sinnott have reunited, to complete the work they started almost four decades ago! Plus, this super-sized issue includes reproductions of Kirby's unlinked penciled pages, with border notes and analysis by John Morrow, and a complete reprint of FANTASTIC FOUR #108 by Stan Lee and John Buscema, which incorporated some of the material from the lost story as a flashback.
64 PGS./Rated A …$4.99

  • This simply rocks!

GHOST RIDER #20
Written by JASON AARON
Art by ROLAND BOSCHI
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
HEAVEN BOUND, HELL TO PAY, PART ONE
Following the startling revelations of the previous arc, writer Jason Aaron (WOLVERINE, Scalped) and artist Roland Boschi take Ghost Rider down a blazing new road! Over the years, Johnny Blaze has lost everything to the curse of the Ghost Rider -- his family, his life, even his soul. But now, at long last, Johnny finally knows who's responsible for turning him into a flame-headed horror-show on wheels, and he's hitting the road, looking for vengeance and answers…but mostly just vengeance.
32 PGS./Rated T+…$2.99

  • Is Jason Aaron the new writer on this series! That is great news!

INCREDIBLE HERCULES #114
Written by GREG PAK & FRED VAN LENTE
Penciled by KHOI PHAM
Cover by ART ADAMS
In the wake of WORLD WAR HULK, the Mighty Avengers are hot on the heels of unrepentant renegades Hercules and Amadeus Cho. Driven into a mindless berserker rage by Ares, Herc has become the critical piece of Cho's plan to utterly destroy S.H.I.E.L.D. What is Cho's master plan to wipe out the spy agency...and is he willing to get Herc killed to do it? Guest-starring the Champions of Los Angeles! Yes, seriously.
32 PGS./Rated A…$2.99

  • This causes a quandry for me. I am a fan of Hercules. But I have no issues of this series. If I pick this up, I am going to have to get the back issue. Will it be worth it? Hmmm. I don't know.

CRIMINAL VOL 2 #1
Written by ED BRUBAKER
Pencils & Cover by SEAN PHILLIPS
That's right, the most acclaimed crime comic in the industry is giving readers and retailers a second chance to get onboard as we relaunch with a new format, featuring more pages, longer main stories, and an expanded magazine section! "Second Chance In Hell" begins the first of three standalone issues, this one focusing on Gnarly the bartenders and telling the story of the last days of his life as a boxer and revealing how the Undertow bar came into his hands. It's a hard-hitting period-piece, set in the grimy early 70s, where crime, seduction and betrayal go hand-in-hand. And on top of this longer-than-usual length main story, CRIMINAL now features an expanded back-pages section, as well - with articles by Brubaker and other top crime writers, from novelists to screenwriters to comic writers. These noir articles have become a popular piece of the CRIMINAL package, and are something that can only be found in the comics, not in any collections. So please take this SECOND CHANCE IN HELL to find out what everyone's been talking about!
40 PGS./Mature Content …$3.50

  • You know, this series is so good, I'd be okay if they made every issue a new number one, as long as it improves sales.