In my neck of the woods, Free Comic Book Day has never been merely an excuse to go to your local shop and clean them out of free four color goodies. No, the true purpose of FCBD for a converted fan such as myself is to simply get into the shop (and perhaps, if you are lucky, several other shops) and SPEND SPEND SPEND.
As detailed over at his blog Dispatches From The Arrowcave, Adama and our giant Korean friend Joe both converged on my house, and the nerdery was underway. I say this because besides the anticipation of free stuff, Adam had picked up a bunch of comics for me at his various Quarter Bin frenzies down in Atlanta-town. So before even stepping outside of my home I had some new comics. Sweet! So, after breakfast and an episode of The Spectacular Spider-Man, we made our way over to my local shop, Borderlands, to get freebies but also to hit the back issue bins! We spent a good long while in there -- my wife grabbed a Buffy trade and read the entire thing -- and then moved down the block a bit to the other comic shop in Greenville, Richard's Comics and Collectibles.
This store is substantially smaller than Borderlands square footage wise, but they don't have the same gaming stock, so I think in actual comics real-estate they are pretty similar. Anyways, they had a huge tent outside for all the freebies, and had Spider-Man and a gew Tusken Raiders roaming around as well. We made our way inside and partook of the back issue bins and impressive display of toys. On the way out, I managed to win an Iron Man button, which I promptly pinned onto my Iron Man shirt. Sweet!
From there it was time for lunch, followed by a trip to Toys R' Us, where I had to fight the urge to drop triple-digits on Iron Man stuff. I settled for one of the Superhero Squad four packs, this one featuring the classic Red-And-Golds, War Machine, Crimson Dynamo (Shatalov) and Titanium Man! The armored fun continued from there, as we hit the Hollywood 20 for a showing of Iron Man (which, as you know, is awesome). We got treated to trailers for Prince Caspian, The Dark Knight, and The Incredible Hulk to boot.
By the time we got home, I think all of us were a little too over-stimulated. So we wound down after dinner with The Film Crew's riff of Hollywood After Dark and MST3K's take on The Atomic Brain. All in all, a pretty insanely fun FCBD, with everyone having a lot of fun and bringing home a lot of swag. And so, without further ado...
Iron Man: Adama had my hookup this time, providing me with good copies of #113, 162, 163, and 174, good picks all. At Borderlands I added Annual '99, and Iron Man/X-O Manowar: Heavy Metal #1, which is actually the second part of the crossover. Riiiight. Richard's had some good stuff but it was too pricey for this trip. Still, a great haul!
(Batman and The) Outsiders: Richard's was more useful here, as there was a good selection of both the first and second series of Outsiders in a half off bin. Half off bin? Yes please! I obtained volume 1, #6 (Duke of Oil!), 10, and 11, and volume 2 #4 and 0 (and yes, a Retro Review of Zero Hour will be coming. Eventually). Adama got in the act with #15 and 23 from the first volume as well.
Magnus, Robot Fighter: The back issue selection was sparse (although, honestly, I couldn't even reach the bin at Richard's), but once again Adama comes to the rescue, with #42 and 50 to add to my collection of robot chopping madness.
Kull: Found a few more of Marvel's "other" fantasy title, with Kull The Conquerer #10, and Destroyer #12 and 13. Yes, those are the same series, the title just changed, honest! And while Adama couldn't track down any comics with the Valusian king, he did find some Marvel Conan, which will always be the standard-bearer for such comics, netting issues #195, 199, 254-256, and Annual #8.
Weird Stuff: Always on the lookout for more installments of the Weekly Dose, so I snagged Weird War Tales #19, and Vault Of Evil #19. Vault Of Evil? Another Marvel mid-70s horror mag, one which I have never encountered before. Looks like fun, even if I am sure it'll end up being a reprinter (The GCPD has no info on it).
Odds & Ends: Some interesting stuff this time out, including Rawhide Kid #151, an issue of Our Fighting Forces featuring The Losers (#147), and the first issue of the ongoing Hawk and Dove -- which reminds me that I need to email Rick.
Not bad, all told! I certainly will be kept busy reading this stuff for a while... in addition to, you know, all the stuff I still have from the Borderlands Sale, and Atlanta Comic Expo, and HeroesCon coming next month... yikes! Just yikes!
So what did YOU do for FCBD?
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
What I Read This Week
...Or, The Last Week I Got To The Comic Shop.
DC Universe #0 -- The DC Universe is set up for the next year or so in this 50-cent come-on comic. I think it owes a lot more to Brave New World than it does to Countdown to Infinite Crisis insofar as it is a series of previews of upcoming titles with a somewhat weak through-story rather than the other way around. Still, I enjoyed it, and seeing all the big, epic storylines planned all in one place was nice, especially for the cost. Johns and Morrison are obviously having a blast working on this event, and the various artists give the work a broad feel -- the transition isn't jarring because of the wide range of previews inside.
Avengers: The Initiative #12 -- Uh, wasn't this supposed to be a face-off between Iron Man and War Machine? If so, why did they have about 3 lines of dialogue between each other? I guess if you were reading Initiative already this might be alright, but other than some fun at the expense of Henry Gyrich, and some nifty use of thought baloons, the whole thing falls flat. The whole point that Slott and Gage are making ("The Initiative is bad... mmkay?") kinda seems ill-advised considering the title of the book, and Uy's art is poorly suited for a superhero title. I feel like a sucker for buying this.
Caliber #1 -- In the West, a great conflict is brewing between the new settlers and the established natives, and only a weapon of great and fantastic power can stop absolute chaos and lead civilization. This Weird-West-Meets-Round-Table update is, first off, beautiful; the art by Garrie Gastonny is lush and does a good job of capturing the "wide-vision" landscape (an interesting contrast to Cboins work in the first few issues of Graveslinger). The story, by Sam Sarkar, wanders a little bit and struggles to get it's footing, but by the end becomes clearer and sets up what should be an appealing adventure. Definitely worth checking this one out, especially with it's reduced price point ($1.00).
glamourpuss #1 -- I don't think anyone is ever really quite sure what Dave Sim is going to produce except for Dave Sim himself, and glamourpuss seems to contradict even that. This comic starts out as an examination of the "photo-realistic" cartooning style as used by Al Williamson and his disciples for newspaper strips decades ago, with Sim trying to recreate this "beyond noir" style through the liberal use of lines and black ink. But then it seemingly starts to get away from him, descending into a sort of narrative about high fashion model glamourpuss, in a series of satirical jabs at the fashion industry and publications such as Vogue and it's ilk. It's all very strange but also quite captivating -- the kind of off-the-wall thing most expect from Sim considering that we are all living in the "Post-Cerebus" era, so to speak. Definitely not for everyone, but check it out, you might be surprised.
The Pick Of The Pile this week is a tough call. DC Universe was a lot of fun, but really not overly substantial; Caliber was exciting and very pretty, but had some unclear bits which required a second look; and glamourpuss was challenging and fun, but still pretty far out there. In the end, I am going with Caliber, which set the ball rolling for what promises to be a rolickingly Weird Western.
So what did YOU read this week? (And the one before that, I guess.)
DC Universe #0 -- The DC Universe is set up for the next year or so in this 50-cent come-on comic. I think it owes a lot more to Brave New World than it does to Countdown to Infinite Crisis insofar as it is a series of previews of upcoming titles with a somewhat weak through-story rather than the other way around. Still, I enjoyed it, and seeing all the big, epic storylines planned all in one place was nice, especially for the cost. Johns and Morrison are obviously having a blast working on this event, and the various artists give the work a broad feel -- the transition isn't jarring because of the wide range of previews inside.
Avengers: The Initiative #12 -- Uh, wasn't this supposed to be a face-off between Iron Man and War Machine? If so, why did they have about 3 lines of dialogue between each other? I guess if you were reading Initiative already this might be alright, but other than some fun at the expense of Henry Gyrich, and some nifty use of thought baloons, the whole thing falls flat. The whole point that Slott and Gage are making ("The Initiative is bad... mmkay?") kinda seems ill-advised considering the title of the book, and Uy's art is poorly suited for a superhero title. I feel like a sucker for buying this.
Caliber #1 -- In the West, a great conflict is brewing between the new settlers and the established natives, and only a weapon of great and fantastic power can stop absolute chaos and lead civilization. This Weird-West-Meets-Round-Table update is, first off, beautiful; the art by Garrie Gastonny is lush and does a good job of capturing the "wide-vision" landscape (an interesting contrast to Cboins work in the first few issues of Graveslinger). The story, by Sam Sarkar, wanders a little bit and struggles to get it's footing, but by the end becomes clearer and sets up what should be an appealing adventure. Definitely worth checking this one out, especially with it's reduced price point ($1.00).
glamourpuss #1 -- I don't think anyone is ever really quite sure what Dave Sim is going to produce except for Dave Sim himself, and glamourpuss seems to contradict even that. This comic starts out as an examination of the "photo-realistic" cartooning style as used by Al Williamson and his disciples for newspaper strips decades ago, with Sim trying to recreate this "beyond noir" style through the liberal use of lines and black ink. But then it seemingly starts to get away from him, descending into a sort of narrative about high fashion model glamourpuss, in a series of satirical jabs at the fashion industry and publications such as Vogue and it's ilk. It's all very strange but also quite captivating -- the kind of off-the-wall thing most expect from Sim considering that we are all living in the "Post-Cerebus" era, so to speak. Definitely not for everyone, but check it out, you might be surprised.
The Pick Of The Pile this week is a tough call. DC Universe was a lot of fun, but really not overly substantial; Caliber was exciting and very pretty, but had some unclear bits which required a second look; and glamourpuss was challenging and fun, but still pretty far out there. In the end, I am going with Caliber, which set the ball rolling for what promises to be a rolickingly Weird Western.
So what did YOU read this week? (And the one before that, I guess.)
Friday, May 9, 2008
Weekly Dose Of Weird -- FCBD Edition!
EC Sampler -- Free Comic Book Day -- I hope those books are bagged and boarded. You really shouldn't keep your comics in such a moist, humid environment.
I. "Spawn Of Venus" -- A team of two-fisted scientists rocket to Venus, only for half of them to fall victim to the deadly flora and a giant ameoba. One returns to Earth with a beautiful flower, only for it to produce another ameoba. The army blows it up with an atom bomb, which of course does little except produce hundreds of the little suckers.
II. "Dying City" -- A blinded North Korean officer is informed of all the death and carnage his choice to join the revolution has brought upon his village and his family by his grandfather.
III. "Curse Of The Full Moon!" -- An American travelling in Europe is pricked by wolfsbane, and believes himself to be a werewolf when reports of a feral beast pop up wherever he and his partner travel. Back in the states, he confesses this to his friend, who promptly reveals himself to be the killer, having used the werewolf bit as cover.
IV. "Under Cover!" -- The Black Vigilante Society (a barely-disguised Klan allegory) flogs a woman to death in view of an intrepid reporter. Escaping the Hoods in the forst, the reporter makes it back to his hotel, only for the Society to catch up with him and lay a beating on him. He awakes in the hospital to find the FBI wanting his information. When he tells that he saw the Grandmaster's face, the FBI "agents" pull their pieces and silence the witness to the Society's evil.
Overall Weird Rating: 3.5 (out of 5).
These stories (from Weird Science, Two-Fisted Tales, The Crypt Of Terror (forerunner of Tales From The Crypt), and Shock SuspenStories) offer a very good sampling of EC's output from the 50s, and are an excellent commercial for the hardcover Archive editions. The overall weirdness is negatively impacted by the second story, one of Two-Fisted classicly harsh anti-war features, which is excellent but in no way "weird." The first feature kinda makes up for this. Definitely pick this one up if your retailer has any sitting around after FCBD.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Short Hiatus
Well, yesterday was a very successful FCBD, with lots of freebies as well as some cool back issues and some more Iron Man swag! Unfortunately, I have to go out of town for business again this week, so the Bunker will have to go on hiatus for a few days. I'll be back later in the week with some more 4 Color fun! Take it easy!
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Everybody's Linking For The Weekend
It's Iron Man time! It's a double dose of iron as Rick first asks us all to Sock It To Shellhead!
And Rick keeps it going as The Ever-Lovin' Blue-Eyed Thing and Tony Stark go all Hollywood on us in Marvel Two-In-One!
I was with Adama when he got this awesome print from Michael Golden. Hot stuff!
Let's all give a warm Bunker welcome to Lilbones of Tales From the Batcave. Batfans and Iron Fans, blogging together! Mass hysteria!
Time to go South Of The Border (no, my fellow South Carolinians, we are not going to Florence), and check out Aquaman in Mexico, along with archer extraordinaire Fleca Verde! Oddly, rob posts this the week that Disney re-releases Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros on DVD... coincidence? I think not.
Frank shows off this JLA-Avengers ACTOR piece by George Perez.
And finally: Never give up, never surrender! Galaxy Quest is coming to the world of comics! And remember, "It doesn't take a good actor to recognize a bad one!"
And Rick keeps it going as The Ever-Lovin' Blue-Eyed Thing and Tony Stark go all Hollywood on us in Marvel Two-In-One!
I was with Adama when he got this awesome print from Michael Golden. Hot stuff!
Let's all give a warm Bunker welcome to Lilbones of Tales From the Batcave. Batfans and Iron Fans, blogging together! Mass hysteria!
Time to go South Of The Border (no, my fellow South Carolinians, we are not going to Florence), and check out Aquaman in Mexico, along with archer extraordinaire Fleca Verde! Oddly, rob posts this the week that Disney re-releases Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros on DVD... coincidence? I think not.
Frank shows off this JLA-Avengers ACTOR piece by George Perez.
And finally: Never give up, never surrender! Galaxy Quest is coming to the world of comics! And remember, "It doesn't take a good actor to recognize a bad one!"
Friday, May 2, 2008
Weekly Dose Of Weird!
Unexpected #123 -- Again with the patchwork look. It's becoming something of a trend on these DCs.
I. "Death Watch!" -- Charlie Miller, a wealthy man with a weak heart, is targetted by his friend Gil, who aims to kill him, take his money, and his girl Leah! Driving him into a coma by scaring him, Gil is on the home stretch, but doesn't count on Charlie's fear of the afterlife -- coupled with his unstoppable hatred -- helping him cling to life.
II. "Man In The Attic!" -- Landlady Mydia. Magloon and her old biddy tenent Lydia are afraid of the serial strangler terrorizing the city. Just then, the odd Mr. Purvis comes to rent a room. Lydia is convinced he is the killer, while the widow Mydia thinks only of marriage. When she goes to see Mr. Purvis in his room, Mydia says he reminds her of her late husband, then goes all wild-eyed and strangles him, saying she wants to feel her hands around his neck like all the others.
III. "Unexpected Mail" -- Letters column, with a highlight including a reader correctly identifying the Grang Guignol.
IV. "Curse Of The Sea Hag!" -- Jerry, on the run from the law for some reason, happens up a "ghost ship" named the Sea Hag. Sneaking aboard to hide out, he runs into Roseanne, who tells him about how she and two toughs attempted to ron the ship's owner, the aged Mrs. Heggerty. They suddenly discovered themselves set out to sea, and, with the men drowned after a failed escape, Roseanne found herself trapped on the Sea Hag for a year, until someone more evil came along to replace her. Jerry slaps Roseanne, then runs into Mrs. Heggerty, and promptly finds himself trapped out at sea.
V. "Voice In The Night" -- Michael is haunted by the spectral voice of his wife Jean, who died in a car accident. Seeking professional help, he soon discovers that it's not his wife, but he himself doing the haunting -- because Michael is a ventriloquist, driven insane by his guilt.
Overall Weird Factor: 2 (out of 5).
Not a bad little mystery/horror comic, but overly exceptional either. The third story is the best of the bunch, but the second's twist ending is good. The issue does a good job of playing on the title's theme, with twists to make things "unexpected," not entirely unlike the other DC genre titles of the era.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
FCBD Preview
Well, no doubt anyone reading this site knows that this Saturday is the 7th Annual Free Comic Book Day! And, though you really never need an excuse to go to your local comic book shop, FCBD does offer a great reason to stop in and sample some stuff which you normally might not pick up. And, of course, you should make sure to bring along your non-comic reading friends as well, along with your spouse. Have kids? Or neices and nephews? Bring em along too, or just grab some of the many free kids or AA books and make them a nice care package. I may be a superhero fan for the most part, but I like comics in general, and anything which raises the profile of the medium is a good thing in my book. So here is a little preview of some of the more interesting selections available this year.
Teens and Older
Hellboy/BPRD FCBD Special -- Just in time for the release of the second Hellboy movie (obviously). I've always liked Mignola's quirky art.
All-Star Superman #1 -- I'm tempted to put this on the All-Ages list, but I don't know if kids will appreciate it the way an older reader might.
Project Superpowers -- So far I have enjoyed this series, and as a tool to opening new readers minds to characters other than the Big Two, it might be worthwhile.
X-Men FCBD Special -- Ah let's face it. At some point, everyone reads an X-Book.
EC Sampler -- It might just be an advertisement for the hefty hardcovers, but any type of EC is worth reading.
Salem: Queen Of Thorns -- Comics set during the Salem Witch trials. I'm intrigued if nothing else.
Drafted -- This sci-fi title sounds like a mix of Verhoven's Starship Troopers and Space: Above And Beyond.
Imaginary -- Radical Press's sampler book, and since all of their titles sound interesting, this one sounds interesting as well.
Kids and All-Ages
Gyro Gearloose FCBD Edition -- Duck comics are usually fun, and I don't think I have ever read a Gyro comic. The Uncle Scrooge freebie from a few years ago remains my all-time favorite FCBD book.
Marvel Adventures: Iron Man FCBD 2008 -- It's an MA book; it's a kick-butt movie; it's Iron Man. This is pretty straightforward, huh?
Kids Love Comics! Comic Book Diner -- Just for Patrick, The Wolf Boy, this looks like it will be cuteness overload.
Ape Entertainment's Cartoon Apalooza -- Apes! Look out Joe Quesada!
Graphic Classics -- I know Marvel has been doing updated versions of Classics Illustrated, but this looks like it has potential.
Maintenance #1 -- The concept of this title (the adventures of the custodial crew at the giant laboratory complex of a group of mad scientists) is just too amusing to pass up.
Tiny Titans #1 -- Yeah, I already bought it once, but I figure I'll give this one away to someone.
Bonus Swag
Iron Man Heroclix/Star Wars CMG Miniatures -- I've picked up a few FCBD Heroclixes over the years (Batman and Spider-Man), but Iron Man is the first one I am actively trying to get. Ironically, with him I can actually put together a team of Avengers from the original starter set my brother picked up many, many years ago. The Star Wars piece is mostly me hoping I can get the Skiff Guard (Weequay?) they show on the site -- that or a Nikto, because, let's face it, Nikto rock.
My good pals Adama and Joe are heading up for what is sure to be a nerdery-filled weeken, plus we are meeting up some more local folks as well. I am not sure if my shop is running any specials in addition to the FCBD stuff, but there's still dollar bins and other goodies to tempt. Plus, there is a second shop not too far away, so we might pop in there as well, before heading over the theater for Iron Man.
So, do you intend to head out to your shop for free comics? What looks good to YOU?
Teens and Older
Hellboy/BPRD FCBD Special -- Just in time for the release of the second Hellboy movie (obviously). I've always liked Mignola's quirky art.
All-Star Superman #1 -- I'm tempted to put this on the All-Ages list, but I don't know if kids will appreciate it the way an older reader might.
Project Superpowers -- So far I have enjoyed this series, and as a tool to opening new readers minds to characters other than the Big Two, it might be worthwhile.
X-Men FCBD Special -- Ah let's face it. At some point, everyone reads an X-Book.
EC Sampler -- It might just be an advertisement for the hefty hardcovers, but any type of EC is worth reading.
Salem: Queen Of Thorns -- Comics set during the Salem Witch trials. I'm intrigued if nothing else.
Drafted -- This sci-fi title sounds like a mix of Verhoven's Starship Troopers and Space: Above And Beyond.
Imaginary -- Radical Press's sampler book, and since all of their titles sound interesting, this one sounds interesting as well.
Kids and All-Ages
Gyro Gearloose FCBD Edition -- Duck comics are usually fun, and I don't think I have ever read a Gyro comic. The Uncle Scrooge freebie from a few years ago remains my all-time favorite FCBD book.
Marvel Adventures: Iron Man FCBD 2008 -- It's an MA book; it's a kick-butt movie; it's Iron Man. This is pretty straightforward, huh?
Kids Love Comics! Comic Book Diner -- Just for Patrick, The Wolf Boy, this looks like it will be cuteness overload.
Ape Entertainment's Cartoon Apalooza -- Apes! Look out Joe Quesada!
Graphic Classics -- I know Marvel has been doing updated versions of Classics Illustrated, but this looks like it has potential.
Maintenance #1 -- The concept of this title (the adventures of the custodial crew at the giant laboratory complex of a group of mad scientists) is just too amusing to pass up.
Tiny Titans #1 -- Yeah, I already bought it once, but I figure I'll give this one away to someone.
Bonus Swag
Iron Man Heroclix/Star Wars CMG Miniatures -- I've picked up a few FCBD Heroclixes over the years (Batman and Spider-Man), but Iron Man is the first one I am actively trying to get. Ironically, with him I can actually put together a team of Avengers from the original starter set my brother picked up many, many years ago. The Star Wars piece is mostly me hoping I can get the Skiff Guard (Weequay?) they show on the site -- that or a Nikto, because, let's face it, Nikto rock.
My good pals Adama and Joe are heading up for what is sure to be a nerdery-filled weeken, plus we are meeting up some more local folks as well. I am not sure if my shop is running any specials in addition to the FCBD stuff, but there's still dollar bins and other goodies to tempt. Plus, there is a second shop not too far away, so we might pop in there as well, before heading over the theater for Iron Man.
So, do you intend to head out to your shop for free comics? What looks good to YOU?
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