X-Men

X-Men Vol. 4 #1 – The Ladies

Ok, here we go again with yet another #1, reboot, revision, do-over. When will it ever end? X-Men Volume 4. I was somewhat excited about the new title but I was going to hold off on any comments until I actually read the book. I ordered a copy from the service where I get all my comics now (every 3rd Wednesday of the month and I have to order then 2 weeks in advance) as well as two copies of the J. Scott Campbell Midtown Comics variant. All I can say is the variant cover is the best thing about the book. I guess I just don’t like gimmick books where they pawn it off as the women of the atom in their own series. I wouldn’t like it if they had a series of just the men either. All I really want is a good writer and a good artist on a good long run to get some rhythm and continuity going.

I mentioned before that I collected comics many years ago and then quit for a few different reasons. Then I get back in to it when I heard about the New 52. And here I am back to where I was many years ago ready to quit again because I can’t get in to the stories. If they kept me engaged and invested in a story by a great plot, excellent writing and art, they’d have me. But no, all they can do now is spit out trash with variant covers and gimmicks to keep the readers hooked. That only works for so long before guys like me, the ones that love the books for what they are and not just an investment, quit forever. Digital comics are cool but they don’t compare to having that book in your hands.

Either way I am just about done and unless something changes where I have 5 good books to collect, I am out again. This October I am going to the NYCC again for the 2nd year in a row. I am going because I already bought the tickets and I plan on taking some good covers along to get signed for my collection. Not to mention the exclusives that are pretty awesome.

Well, back the story, if you can call it a story. Jubilee is coming back from Croatia or something and she has a baby that she “adopted” or smuggled or whatever(isn’t she a vampire now?). Apparently some dude has been following her and to be honest I have no idea who he is. Apparently he’s been around for a billion years and he and his sister had some sort of tiff way back when. She must have been out in space somewhere all pissed off all this time and now she is back on Earth. This baby seems to have some sort of mutation where it conducts or creates electricity or energy and possibly could lead to the end of the world. That is pretty much it for the entire 1st issue.

Written by Brian Wood and art by Olivier Coipel, this was supposed to be something huge, the last great hurrah from the 1st wave of Marvel Now titles. I am just so very confused about which characters are on what teams. Many of them are on multiple teams and I find it difficult to believe they can have so much shit happen to them with each team. There just cannot be enough time to get in to that many predicaments with different team members. I’ll give it one arc to see how things go and after that I am done. I really hate being this negative but honestly Marvel and DC give me no choice. They are the ones putting out all this crap.

X-Men: Battle of the Atom

I’m back on board with some X-titles after a short hiatus due to the inept and extremely lacking storylines. I hate the fact there was yet another reboot of sorts, it feels as though whatever DC does, Marvel feels they have to do better. Whatever Marvel does, DC has to one up them. It gets old and honestly it turns the fans off or in another direction. I’ve begun to love all the new Image titles and then I started reading some IDW, Zenescope and Dark Horse books because of it. However, I have to say I really do like the All New X-Men book where the past core members are brought to the future in hopes of changing the course of history. I love the storyline by Brian Michael Bendis and I wasn’t always, but am now a big fan of Stuart Immonen. I am also a fan of Uncanny X-Men by Bendis and Chris Bachalo. The dynamic between the ex Phoenix Five and everyone else is really awesome.

Scott Summers is now the poster-child for the Mutant Revolution and I think I like it. For a long time he seemed to be too much of a pussy, always trying to do the right thing but falling short because of his ideals. Well now the time has come to just accept your fate and the hand that was dealt to you. You are a bad guy whether you like it or not so own up to it and move on. However, coming out of C2E2 there comes yet another crossover entitles X-Men: Battle of the Atom. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good crossover that means something but didn’t we just come out of AvX? Isn’t there this little thing going one called the Age of Ultron? I mean come on…really? Just take a storyline and let it play out. Give it some depth, girth and go with it. I would love to see the dynamic between the different teams go on for a year before we have to throw yet another crossover in to the mix. Two years would be good. Develop some plot twists and sub stories that eventually lead up to something.

However, the theme of the crossover is quite intriguing as future X-Men know what the Hell is going to happen to present X-Men and they need to come back and try to make things right. With that being said, how far in the future are they coming from and is there going to be some character development? I need to know who people are before they just roll in and start doing things. I need for there to be a little back story with twists and turns and growth from my favorite mutants. Going back many years to before and after the X-tinction Agenda there was a lot of history. It wasn’t just something that happened overnight after a new book was introduced. Maybe I am wrong and things have always been like this. Maybe I just think the writing of old and the characters of old are better because I am getting old. Maybe the artwork is better now and I am wrong to think that Lee, Portacio, Liefeld*, Silvestri and Adam and Andy Kubert were just ok along with writers Chris Claremont, Scott Lobdell and Fabian Nicieza. Not that the current writing isn’t good, it’s just I want depth and drawn out plot. I want 12 pages of lead in to the punch at the end.

Either way, it is what it is and I cannot change it. All I can do is blog about it and hope that people read it and agree with me, or disagree, doesn’t matter. I the muckety mucks at Marvel decide that I am right well then anyone else who feels the way I do can be pleased if things change. If not, then those that love it the way it is now can be happy to keep buying half thought out plots and storylines. Maybe I am just having a bad day and this is how I get to vent. Maybe I am right. Who knows. Just read this and let me know if you agree or disagree.

First Look At X-Men: Days Of Future Past’s Version Of Beast

Courtesy of Bleeding Cool, check out this first look at what may potentially be yet another furry blue beast from the next X-Men movie, Days of Future Past. Which of course is going to make the back issues of the comic skyrocket in price so get them now before you can’t.

I am not sure yet how I feel about it but I am going to reserve judgement until I can get a better look. For some reason I just can’t get Kelsey Grammer out of my mind when I see a furry blue character. Again, not sure if I liked that version or not either. I think for some reason it just doesn’t translate well to the big screen. However nothing can be worse than the Astonishing X-Men Motion Comic.

What do you think?

New Comic Wednesday – 7/4/12

Happy 4th of July everyone! Absolutely long time no blog and completely my fault for working too much and not allocating enough time to what is really important…This Blog!

This weeks comic list brought to you by Collectors Corner in Baltimore Md.

3D TOTAL PUBLISHING
Digital Art Masters Volume 7 SC, $49.99

AARDVARK VANAHEIM
Zootanapuss #4 (not verified by Diamond), AR

AC COMICS
Femforce #160, $9.95

ACE BOOKS
Doctor Who Shada The Lost Adventure By Douglas Adams HC (not verified by Diamond), $25.95

APE ENTERTAINMENT
Richie Rich Gems Treasures TP, $9.99

ARCHIE COMICS
Sonic The Hedgehog #238, $2.99
World Of Archie Double Digest #19, $3.99

ASPEN MLT
Executive Assistant Assassins #1 (Cover A Joe Benitez), $3.99
Executive Assistant Assassins #1 (Cover B Eduardo Francisco), $3.99
Executive Assistant Assassins #1 (Cover C Joe Benitez Riddled Incentive), AR
Fathom Kiani Volume 2 #3 (Cover A Oliver Nome), $3.50
Fathom Kiani Volume 2 #3 (Cover B Eduardo Francisco), $3.50
Fathom Kiani Volume 2 #3 (Cover C Michael Turner Classic Incentive), AR
Soulfire Despair #1 (Cover A Michael Ryan), $3.99
Soulfire Despair #1 (Cover B Jonathan Marks), $3.99

AVATAR PRESS
Dan The Unharmable #3 (Rafael Ortiz Regular Cover), $3.99
Dan The Unharmable #3 (Rafael Ortiz Retro Incentive Cover), AR
Dan The Unharmable #3 (Rafael Ortiz Wraparound Cover), $3.99
Dicks #6 (John McCrea Regular Cover), $3.99
Dicks #6 (John McCrea Classic Black & White Incentive Cover), AR
Dicks #6 (John McCrea Offensive Cover), $3.99
Ferals #6 (Gabriel Andrade Regular Cover), $3.99
Ferals #6 (Gabriel Andrade Gore Cover), $3.99
Ferals #6 (Gabriel Andrade Slashed Incentive Cover), AR
Ferals #6 (Gabriel Andrade Wraparound Cover), $3.99
Hero Worship #1 (Of 6)(Michael Dipascale Regular Cover), $3.99
Hero Worship #1 (Of 6)(Michael Dipascale Heroic Incentive Cover), AR
Hero Worship #1 (Of 6)(Michael Dipascale Wraparound Cover), $3.99

BABY TATTOO BOOKS
Idle Hands The Art Of Coop HC, $50.00

BEARMANOR MEDIA
First Responders Of Television SC, $32.95

BOOM! STUDIOS
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser #15 (Cover A Tim Bradstreet), $3.99
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser #15 (Cover B Nick Percival), $3.99
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser #15 (Cover C Tim Bradstreet), AR
Fanboys Vs Zombies #4 (Cover A Humberto Ramos), $3.99
Fanboys Vs Zombies #4 (Cover B Khary Randolph), $3.99
Fanboys Vs Zombies #4 (Cover C Eddie Nunez), AR
Fanboys Vs Zombies #4 (Cover D Khary Randolph Sketch), AR
Fanboys Vs Zombies #4 (Cover E Humberto Ramos Sketch), AR
Fanboys Vs Zombies #4 (Cover F Arthur Suydam CGC 9.8), AR
Garfield #3 (Cover A Gary Barker), $3.99
Garfield #3 (Cover B Jim Davis 1st Appearance Of Jon), AR
I Told You So HC, $17.99
Incorruptible Volume 7 TP, $16.99
Other Sides Of Howard Cruse HC, $24.99
Peanuts #1 (Of 4)(Matt Whitlock ECCC 2012 Exclusive Cover), $9.99
Peanuts Volume 1 TP, $13.99
Sketchbook Adventures Of Peter Poplaski HC, $25.00

BOUNDLESS COMICS
Lady Death #19 (Renato Camilo Regular Cover), $3.99
Lady Death #19 (Michael Dipascale Art Deco Incentive Cover), AR

Lady Death #19 (Matt Martin Sultry Cover), $3.99
Lady Death #19 (Michael Dipascale Wraparound Cover), $3.99

CINEFEX
Cinefex #130 (July 2012), $12.50

COMIC SHOP NEWS
Comic Shop News #1307, AR

CLASSIC COMICS PRESS
Adventures Of Buck O’Rue TP, $29.95
Leonard Starr’s Mary Perkins On Stage Volume 10 TP, $24.95

DARK HORSE COMICS
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9 Volume 1 Freefall TP, $17.99
Crime Does Not Pay Archives Volume 2 HC, $49.99
Freaks Of The Heartland HC, $29.99
Mass Effect Alliance Normandy SR-2 Replica Ship Antique Silver Edition, $49.99
Mike Norton’s Battlepug Volume 1 HC, $14.99
Mind MGMT #2, $3.99
Orchid #8, $3.50
Tarzan The Jesse Marsh Years Volume 11 HC, $49.99

DC COMICS
Action Comics #11 (Combo Pack Edition), $4.99
Action Comics #11 (Cully Hamner Variant Cover), AR
Action Comics #11 (Rags Morales Black & White Variant Cover), AR
Action Comics #11 (Rags Morales Regular Cover), $3.99
Animal Man #11, $2.99
Batman And Robin Volume 1 Born To Kill HC, $24.99
Batman Earth One HC, $22.99
Batwing #11, $2.99
Before Watchmen Ozymandias #1 (Combo Pack Edition), $4.99
Before Watchmen Ozymandias #1 (Jae Lee Regular Cover), $3.99
Before Watchmen Ozymandias #1 (Jim Lee Variant Cover), AR
Before Watchmen Ozymandias #1 (Phil Jimenez Variant Cover), AR
Detective Comics #11 (Combo Pack Edition), $4.99
Detective Comics #11 (Tony S. Daniel Black & White Variant Cover), AR
Detective Comics #11 (Tony S. Daniel Regular Cover), $3.99
Dial H #3, $2.99
Earth 2 #1 (Ivan Reis & Joe Prado 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Earth 2 #2 (Ivan Reis & Joe Prado 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $2.99
Earth 2 #3 (Ivan Reis & Joe Prado Black & White Variant Cover), AR
Earth 2 #3 (Ivan Reis & Joe Prado Regular Cover), $2.99
Fables Volume 17 Inherit The Wind TP, $14.99
Fairest #5, $2.99
G.I. Combat #3, $3.99
Green Arrow #11, $2.99
Green Lantern Emerald Warriors Volume 1 TP, $14.99
He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe #1 (Of 6)(Dave Wilkins Variant Cover), AR
He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe #1 (Of 6)(Philip Tan & Ruy Jose Regular Cover), $2.99
I Zombie #27, $2.99
Justice League International #11, $2.99

Night Force #5 (Of 7), $2.99
Red Lanterns #11, $2.99
Scooby-Doo Where Are You #23, $2.99
Showcase Presents Showcase Volume 1 TP, $19.99
Smallville Season 11 #3, $3.99
Stormwatch #11, $2.99
Suicide Squad Volume 1 Kicked In The Teeth TP, $14.99
Sweet Tooth #35, $2.99
Wonder Woman The Twelve Labors TP, $14.99
Worlds’ Finest #3 (George Perez Black & White Variant Cover), AR
Worlds’ Finest #3 (George Perez Regular Cover), $2.99

DENNIS DRUKTENIS PUBLISHING
Scary Monsters Magazine #83, $8.95

DIAMOND PUBLICATIONS
Game Trade Magazine #149, $3.99

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
Boys #68, $3.99
Dreadstar Omnibus Volume 1 TP, $29.99
Green Hornet #26 (Brian Denham Regular Cover), $3.99
Green Hornet #26 (Jonathan Lau Regular Cover), $3.99
Green Hornet #26 (Phil Hester Regular Cover), $3.99
Kirby Genesis Captain Victory #6 (Alex Ross Regular Cover), $3.99
Kirby Genesis Captain Victory #6 (Alex Ross Virgin Variant Cover), AR
Lone Ranger #7 (Francesco Francavilla Regular Cover), $3.99
Ninjettes #5 (Admira Wijaya Regular Cover), $3.99
Ninjettes #5 (Admira Wijaya Virgin Variant Cover), AR
Ninjettes #5 (Risque Variant Cover), AR
Robert Jordan’s The Wheel Of Time The Eye Of The World #27, $3.99
Vampirella The Red Room #2 (Ale Garza Regular Cover), $3.99
Vampirella The Red Room #2 (Dan Brereton Regular Cover), $3.99
Vampirella The Red Room #2 (Fabiano Neves Regular Cover), $3.99
Warlord Of Mars #19 (Daniel Sampere Risque Variant Cover), AR
Warlord Of Mars #19 (Joe Jusko Regular Cover), $3.99
Warlord Of Mars #19 (Lucio Parrillo Regular Cover), $3.99
Warlord Of Mars #19 (Lucio Parrillo Virgin Variant Cover), AR

HUMANOIDS PUBLISHING
Paris Soirees HC, $69.95
Zombies That Ate The World Volume 2 Eleventh Commandment HC, $24.95

IDW PUBLISHING
Cape 1969 #1 (Of 4)(Cover A Zach Howard), $3.99
Cape 1969 #1 (Of 4)(Cover RI Nelson Daniel), AR

Convention Sketchbook HC, $19.99
Danger Girl Danger Sized Treasury Edition Volume 2 TP, $9.99
Doctor Who Classics Series 4 #6 (Of 6), $3.99
Dorothy Of Oz Prequel #3 (Of 4)(Cover RI CGI Character Art), AR
Dorothy Of Oz Prequel #3 (Of 4)(Cover A Eric Shanower), $3.99
Frankenstein Alive Alive #1 (Bernie Wrightson 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
G.I. JOE A Real American Hero #180 (Cover A Herb Trimpe), $3.99
G.I. JOE A Real American Hero #180 (Cover B S. L. Gallant & Gary Erskine), $3.99
G.I. JOE A Real American Hero #180 (Cover RI Larry Hama), AR
G.I. JOE Cobra Command Volume 2 TP, $19.99
Infestation 2 Volume 2 TP, $17.99
Popeye #3 (Cover RI Dean Yeagle), AR
Popeye #3 (Cover A Tom Neely), $3.99
Rocketeer Adventures 2 #4 (Of 4)(Cover A Darwyn Cooke), $3.99
Rocketeer Adventures 2 #4 (Of 4)(Cover B Dave Stevens), $3.99
Rocketeer Adventures 2 #4 (Of 4)(Cover RI Darwyn Cooke), AR
Star Trek Legion Of Super-Heroes HC, $24.99
Transformers Robots In Disguise #7 (Cover A Andrew Griffith), $3.99
Transformers Robots In Disguise #7 (Cover B Casey Coller), $3.99
Transformers Robots In Disguise #7 (Cover RI Marcelo Matere), AR

IMAGE COMICS
Artifacts #19, $3.99
Creator Owned Heroes #2 (Cover A Kevin Mellon), $3.99
Creator Owned Heroes #2 (Cover B Phil Noto), $3.99
Danger Club #3, $2.99
Darkness Compendium Volume 2 TP, $69.99
Epic Kill #2 (2nd Printing Variant Cover), $2.99
Epic Kill #3, $2.99
Hack Slash #17 (Cover A Tim Seeley), $3.50
Hack Slash #17 (Cover B Tradd Moore & Filipe Sobreiro), $3.50
Haunt #24, $2.99

Invincible #93, $2.99
Invincible Volume 16 Family Ties TP, $16.99
Morning Glories #20, $2.99
Secret #2 (2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.50
Spawn #221 (Cover A Todd McFarlane), $2.99
Spawn #221 (Cover B Todd McFarlane Black & White), $2.99
Super Dinosaur Volume 2 TP, $12.99
Thief Of Thieves #5 (2nd Printing Variant Cover), $2.99
Thief Of Thieves #6, $2.99

NSIGHT EDITIONS
Batmobile The Complete History HC, $35.00
Dark Knight Manual Tools Weapons Vehicles And Documents From The Batcave HC, $40.00

IT BOOKS
Wayne Of Gotham A Novel HC, $26.99

JUMPING JACK PRESS
Toy Story An Interactive Pop-Up Book And Beyond HC, $24.99

KENZER AND COMPANY
Knights Of The Dinner Table #188, $5.99

KODANSHA COMICS
Air Gear Volume 24 GN, $10.99

MANUSCRIPT PRESS
Comics Revue Presents June 2012, $19.95

MARVEL COMICS
Age Of Apocalypse #5 (Carlo Barberi Regular Cover), $2.99
Amazing Spider-Man #689 (Giuseppe Camuncoli Regular Cover), $3.99
Amazing Spider-Man #689 (Matthew Clark Lizard Variant Cover), AR
Avengers Assemble Volume 4 TP, $34.99
Avengers Vs X-Men #0 (Of 12)(Frank Cho 5th Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Avengers Vs X-Men #1 (Of 12)(Jim Cheung 5th Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Avengers Vs X-Men #2 (Of 12)(Jim Cheung 5th Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Avengers Vs X-Men #7 (Of 12)(Esad Ribic Avengers Team Variant Cover), AR
Avengers Vs X-Men #7 (Of 12)(Esad Ribic Variant Cover), AR
Avengers Vs X-Men #7 (Of 12)(Esad Ribic X-Men Team Variant Cover), AR
Avengers Vs X-Men #7 (Of 12)(Jim Cheung Regular Cover), $3.99
Avengers Vs X-Men #7 (Of 12)(Sara Pichelli Sketch Variant Cover), AR
Avengers Vs X-Men #7 (Of 12)(Sara Pichelli Variant Cover), AR
Avengers West Coast Avengers Zodiac Attack HC (Premiere Edition), $34.99
Avengers West Coast Avengers Zodiac Attack HC (Premiere Edition)(Direct Market Variant Edition Volume 96), $34.99
Deadpool #57, $2.99
First X-Men Postcard (Promotional Item), AR
Fury MAX #4, $3.99
Halo Fall Of Reach Invasion HC (Premiere Edition), $19.99
Hulk #55, $2.99

Hulk Heart Of The Atom TP, $24.99
Infernal Man-Thing #1 (Of 3)(Art Adams Regular Cover), $3.99
Infernal Man-Thing #1 (Of 3)(Gil Kane Variant Cover), AR
Infernal Man-Thing #1 (Of 3)(Kevin Nowlan Variant Cover), AR
Invincible Iron Man #520, $3.99
Marvel Super Heroes #2, $4.99
Muppets #1 (Of 4), $2.99
Punisher #13, $2.99
Punisher By Rick Remender Omnibus HC, $99.99
Season One 2012 Guide (Promotional Item), AR
Secret Warriors Omnibus HC, $99.99
Spider-Men #2 (Of 5)(Jim Cheung 2nd Printing Variant Cover)(not verified by Diamond), $3.99
Spider-Man Return Of The Burglar HC (Premiere Edition), $29.99
Spider-Man Return Of The Burglar HC (Premiere Edition)(Direct Market Variant Edition Volume 97), $29.99
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #12, $3.99
Uncanny X-Men #15, $3.99
Wolverine #310 (Blank Variant Cover), AR
Wolverine #310 (Ed McGuinness Variant Cover), AR
Wolverine #310 (Simone Bianchi Regular Cover), $3.99
Wolverine #310 (Stephen Platt Sketch Variant Cover), AR
Wolverine #310 (Stephen Platt Variant Cover), AR
X-Factor #239, $2.99
X-Men Beauty And The Beast HC (Premiere Edition), $29.99
X-Men Beauty And The Beast HC (Premiere Edition)(Direct Market Variant Edition Volume 98), $29.99

VERTICAL
5 Centimeters Per Second GN, $18.95

VIZ MEDIA
Bakuman Volume 12 TP, $9.99
Bleach Volume 42 TP, $9.99
Bleach Volume 43 TP, $9.99
Claymore Volume 20 TP, $9.99
D.Gray-Man Volume 22 GN, $9.99
Dengeki Daisy Volume 10 GN, $9.99
Hana-Kimi 3-In-1 Edition Volume 3 TP, $14.99
Jiu Jiu Volume 1 GN, $9.99
Naruto Volume 57 TP, $9.99
Natsume’s Book Of Friends Volume 12 TP, $9.99
One Piece Volume 63 TP, $9.99
Oresama Teacher Volume 9 GN, $9.99
Pokemon Black And White Volume 8 GN, $4.99
Psyren Volume 5 GN, $9.99
RIN-NE Volume 9 GN, $9.99
Rosario+Vampire Season II Volume 9 TP, $9.99
Skip Beat 3-In-1 Edition Volume 3 TP, $14.99
Skip Beat Volume 28 TP, $9.99
Vampire Knight Volume 14 TP, $9.99
Winx Club Volume 1 GN, $6.99
Winx Club Volume 2 GN, $6.99

ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT
Salem’s Daughter Haunting TP, $15.99

New Comic Wednesday 5-16-12

12-GAUGE COMICS
Boondock Saints Volume 1 In Nomine Patris HC (Limited Edition), $34.99

ANTARCTIC PRESS
Gold Digger #138, $3.99

ARCHIE COMICS
Archie Double Digest #229, $3.99
Jughead #213, $2.99
Sonic Universe #40, $2.99

AZURE PRESS
Ninjas Vs Zombies Bundle (issues 1-4; signed copy of issue 5; bonus copy of issue 6), $14.99

BLUEWATER PRODUCTIONS
Female Force #36 (Carrie Fisher), $3.99
John Saul’s The God Project #2, $3.99
Mis-Adventures Of Adam West #3, $3.99
Quatermain #4, $3.99

BONGO COMICS
Simpsons Comics #190, $2.99

BOOM! STUDIOS
Adventure Time #4 (Cover A Kassandra Heller), $3.99
Adventure Time #4 (Cover B Chris Houghton), $3.99
Adventure Time #4 (Cover C Scott C), AR
Adventure Time #4 (Cover D Bettie Ward), AR
Planet Of The Apes #14 (Cover A Carlos Magno), $3.99
Planet Of The Apes #14 (Cover B Damian Couceiro), $3.99
Planet Of The Apes #14 (Cover C Carlos Magno Sketch), AR
Steed And Mrs Peel #5 (Of 6)(Cover A Ian Gibson), $3.99
Steed And Mrs Peel #5 (Of 6)(Cover B Ian Gibson), AR
Supurbia #1 (Josh Covey 3rd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Valen The Outcast #6 (Cover A Khary Randolph), $3.99
Valen The Outcast #6 (Cover B Eddie Nunez), $3.99
Valen The Outcast #6 (Cover C Matteo Scalera), AR
Valen The Outcast #6 (Cover D Eddie Nunez Sketch), AR
Valen The Outcast #6 (Cover E Khary Randolph Sketch), AR
WordGirl Volume 4 Fashion Disaster GN, $7.99
BOUNDLESS COMICS
Lady Death Origins Cursed #2 (Of 3)(Jason Eden Regular Cover), $3.99
Lady Death Origins Cursed #2 (Of 3)(Michael Dipascale Art Deco Incentive Cover), $3.80
Lady Death Origins Cursed #2 (Of 3)(Michael Dipascale Sultry Cover), $3.99
Lady Death Origins Cursed #2 (Of 3)(Michael Dipascale Wrap Cover), $3.99

DARK HORSE COMICS
B.P.R.D. Hell On Earth The Devil’s Engine #1 (Of 3), $3.50
Bride Of The Water God Volume 11 TP, $9.99
Classic Marvel Characters The Fantastic Four #5 Dr. Doom, $49.95
Conan The Barbarian #4, $3.50
Domo 2 Inch Qee Series 4 15 Figure Mystery Box Display, AR
Eerie Archives Volume 10 HC, $49.99
Hellboy Volume 2 Wake The Devil TP (6th Printing), $17.99
Paradox Entertainment Presents Kult TP, $12.99
Reset #1 (Of 4)(Matt Kindt Variant Cover), AR
Reset #2 (Of 4), $3.50
Star Wars Dawn Of The Jedi Force Storm #4 (Of 5), $3.50

DC COMICS
Batman Bruce Wayne The Road Home TP, $17.99
Batwoman #9 (Ben Oliver Black & White Variant Cover), AR
Batwoman #9 (Ben Oliver Regular Cover), $2.99
Birds Of Prey #9 (Night Of The Owls), $2.99
Blue Beetle #9, $2.99
Captain Atom #9, $2.99
Catwoman #9 (Night Of The Owls), $2.99
Catwoman Volume 1 The Game TP, $14.99
Cover Girls Of The DC Universe Raven PVC Figure (resolicited), $100.00
DC Universe Presents #9, $2.99
Deadenders TP, $29.99
Fables Volume 1 Legends In Exile TP (New Edition), $12.99
Green Lantern Brightest Day TP, $19.99
Green Lantern Corps #9, $2.99
Green Lantern The Animated Series #2, $2.99
Green Lantern The Animated Series Hal Jordan Statue (resolicited), $125.00
Green Lantern Volume 1 Sinestro HC, $22.99
Hellblazer #291, $2.99
Justice League #4 (Jim Lee & Scott Williams 3rd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Justice League #9 (Carlos D’Anda Variant Cover), AR
Justice League #9 (Combo Pack Edition), $4.99
Justice League #9 (Jim Lee & Scott Williams Regular Cover), $3.99
Justice League #9 (Jim Lee Black & White Variant Cover), AR
Legion Of Super-Heroes #9, $2.99
Nightwing #9 (Night Of The Owls), $2.99
Red Hood And The Outlaws #9 (Night Of The Owls), $2.99
Saucer Country #3, $2.99
Scalped #58, $2.99
Secret Society Of Super-Villains Volume 2 HC, $39.99
Shade #8 (Of 12)(Jill Thompson Variant Cover), AR
Shade #8 (Of 12)(Tony Harris Regular Cover), $2.99
Supergirl #9, $2.99
Wonder Woman #9 (Cliff Chiang Black & White Variant Cover), AR
Wonder Woman #9 (Cliff Chiang Regular Cover), $2.99

DIGITAL MANGA PUBLISHING
Castle Mango Volume 1 GN, $12.95
Private Teacher Volume 3 GN, $12.95
Samejima-Kun And Sasahara Kun GN, $12.95
Starry Sky Volume 1 GN, $12.95
Tyrant Falls In Love Volume 6 GN, $12.95

DYNAMIC FORCES
Shadow #1 (Dynamic Forces)(Francesco Francavilla Exclusive Cover), $14.99

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
Army Of Darkness #4 (Tim Seeley Regular Cover), $3.99
Ninjettes #4 (Admira Wijaya Regular Cover), $3.99
Ninjettes #4 (Admira Wijaya Virgin Variant Cover), AR
Ninjettes #4 (Eman Casallos Risque Variant Cover), AR
Nowhere Man #3 (Of 4)(Jeevan J. Kang Regular Cover), $3.99
Shadow #2 (Alex Ross Regular Cover), $3.99
Shadow #2 (Alex Ross Virgin Variant Cover), AR
Shadow #2 (Howard Chaykin Red Variant Cover), AR
Shadow #2 (Howard Chaykin Regular Cover), $3.99
Shadow #2 (Jae Lee Negative Variant Cover), AR
Shadow #2 (Jae Lee Regular Cover), $3.99
Shadow #2 (John Cassady Black & White Variant Cover), AR
Shadow #2 (John Cassady Regular Cover), $3.99
Shadow #2 (Ryan Sook Regular Cover), $3.99
Vampirella Vs Dracula #4 (Of 6)(Joseph Michael Linsner Regular Cover), $3.99
Voltron #5 (Alex Ross Regular Cover), $3.99
Voltron #5 (Alex Ross Virgin Variant Cover), AR
Voltron #5 (Sean Chen Red Variant Cover), AR
Voltron #5 (Sean Chen Regular Cover), $3.99

IDW PUBLISHING
30 Days Of Night 10 Bloody Years Treasury Edition TP, $9.99
Complete Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy Volume 13 1950-1951 HC, $39.99
Jurassic Park Dangerous Games HC, $24.99
Last Unicorn Deluxe Edition HC, $50.00
Locke And Key Clockworks #6 (Of 6)(Gabriel Rodriguez Regular Cover), $3.99
Locke And Key Clockworks #6 (Of 6)(Gabriel Rodriguez Variant Cover), AR

IMAGE COMICS
Activity #6, $3.50
Artifacts #1-13 Complete 1-In-100 Foil Variant Cover Set (Signed By Marc Silvestri), $500.00
Dancer #1, $3.50
Danger Club #2, $2.99
Darkness #103, $2.99
Fatale #1 (5th Printing Variant Cover), $3.50
Glory #26, $2.99
Hardcore #1, $2.99
Hardcore #1 (Marc Silvestri Top Cow Store Sketch Variant Cover), $10.00
Hell Yeah #3, $2.99
Manhattan Projects #3, $3.50
Mondo #2 (Of 3), $4.99
Saga #3, $2.99
Thief Of Thieves #1 (3rd Printing Variant Cover), $2.99
Thief Of Thieves #4, $2.99

MARVEL COMICS
Amazing Spider-Man #682 (Gabriele Dell’Otto 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Amazing Spider-Man #683 (Gabriele Dell’Otto 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Amazing Spider-Man Ends Of Earth #1, $3.99
Avengers #26, $3.99
Avengers Academy #30, $2.99
Avengers The Contest TP, $16.99
Avengers Vs X-Men #0 (Of 12)(Frank Cho 3rd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Avengers Vs X-Men #4 (Of 12)(Jerome Opena Sketch Variant Cover), AR
Avengers Vs X-Men #4 (Of 12)(Jerome Opena Variant Cover), AR
Avengers Vs X-Men #4 (Of 12)(Jim Cheung Regular Cover), $3.99
Avengers Vs X-Men #4 (Of 12)(Mark Bagley Avengers Team Variant Cover), AR
Avengers Vs X-Men #4 (Of 12)(Mark Bagley Variant Cover), AR
Avengers Vs X-Men #4 (Of 12)(Mark Bagley X-Men Team Variant Cover), AR
AvX Vs #2 (Of 6)(Salvador Larroca Regular Cover), $3.99
AvX Vs #2 (Of 6)(Steve McNiven Fight Poster Variant Cover), AR
Daredevil #13, $2.99
Deadpool MAX Second Cut HC (Premiere Edition), $24.99
Fantastic Four #605.1, $2.99
Fury MAX #2, $3.99
Generation Hope The End Of A Generation TP, $15.99
Hulk Smash Avengers #3 (Of 5), $2.99
Husk Smash Avengers Collectible Postcard #3 (Promotional Item), AR
Incredible Hulk #7.1, $2.99
Invincible Iron Man #517, $3.99
John Carter The Gods Of Mars #3 (Of 5), $2.99
Marvel Universe Vs Wolverine TP, $14.99
Marvel’s The Avengers Black Widow Strikes #2 (Of 3), $2.99
Moon Knight By Brian Michael Bendis And Alex Maleev Volume 2 HC (Premiere Edition), $24.99
New Avengers #24 (Mike Deodata 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
New Avengers By Brian Michael Bendis Volume 3 HC (Premiere Edition), $29.99
New Mutants #42, $2.99
New Mutants Classic Volume 7 TP, $29.99
Secret Service #2 (Of 7)(Dave Gibbons Regular Cover), $2.99
Secret Service #2 (Of 7)(Leinil Francis Yu Variant Cover), AR
Thunderbolts #174, $2.99
Uncanny X-Men #12, $3.99
Venom #18, $2.99
Winter Soldier #5, $2.99
Wolverine And Black Cat Claws 2 TP, $14.99
X-Factor #236, $2.99

MOONSTONE
Lone Ranger Chronicles SC, $19.95

RED 5 COMICS
Atomic Robo Real Science Adventures #2, $2.75
Dead Or Alive #4 (Of 4), $3.50

VIZ MEDIA
Future Is Japanese SC, $14.99
Saturn Apartments Volume 4 TP, $12.99
Saturn Apartments Volume 5 TP, $12.99

ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT
Grimm Fairy Tales #73 (Cover A Stjepan Sejic), $2.99
Grimm Fairy Tales #73 (Cover B Pasquale Qualano), $2.99

New Comic Wednesday

Well here we are…it’s Wednesday…New Comic Wednesday to be a bit more accurate and the only thing I had time to read was Justice League #6 from last week. There just isn’t enough hours in a day, or even a week, to get everything I want to do, finished. So I start out with 168 hours in a week, actually let’s say 24 hours in a day. Work seems to take up 9 to 10 hours, then I probably sleep about 6 hours a night, and then on top of that is time with the wife which accounts for about 4 to 5 hours which leaves roughly 3 hours for me. Well, actually time spent in transit has to be worked in there too so best guess estimate, I have about 2 hours of me time a day.

That may seem like a lot but if you think about it, that time is spent getting ready for work, making dinner, working out at the gym, and lastly time for whatever I want to do. Mainly that time is spent reading comics, surfing the net or reading some book, white paper or blog about email marketing. Don’t ask, it’s a sickness. My point to all this is that I really do not budget my time wisely enough because if I did, I would have more me time.

I guess what I am getting at is I buy too many comics and don’t get to read them as quickly as I would like to. Additionally, it is a damn good thing I have a box at the Comic Store because if I didn’t I would miss out on the more popular titles. My point is, today was the first time I was there in about 2 weeks and ended up buying:

Action Comics #7, Justice League #6, (Danger Girl Revolver #1 & #2 huge fan of J. Scott Campbell), The Incredible Hulk #2, #3, #5, X-Men #26, Uncanny X-Men #8, Wolverine & the X-Men Alpha & Omega #3, (Ultimate Universe Ultimates #7, X-Men #8, Spider-Man #8), Age of Apocalypse #1, Red Lanterns #7, Justice League International #7, Green Arrow #7, Detective Comics #7, (Batwing #7 only because of the cover with all the Bat characters), Batman Beyond Unlimited #1 and finally Manhattan Projects #1.

So as you can see, I have VERY little time to read in comparison to the number of comics I get. I still haven’t read 7 comics from the last time I was there. And on top of that, I have issues 3, 4, 5, 6 of I, Vampire and All Star Western that I am having trouble getting through. I know they are supposed to be these great titles that people are raving about but for some reason they do not do it for me and I have to fight through it and finish them.

Thoughts?…other than I get too many titles which I already know. I think I need to take a day off work, sit in my room and do nothing but get caught up with everything that is going on in the comic universes. And, have you seen the new DC logo…not too crazy about it yet but that is for another time. Look for a review of Justice League 4, 5, and 6 soon. So until next time…

Wednesday 10-26 New 52 Releases

Last week was bad for releases but I think this week might be just a bit better. When I say bad and a bit better, I’m talking from the inside of my wallet. I’ve not yet been able to filter out all the comics I won’t care about in the future so I am picking up a bunch of them still. Tomorrow I will have sitting in my box waiting for me; All Star Western, Aquaman, Dark Knight, Flash, GL-New Guardians, I, Vampire, Superman, Teen Titans, Voodoo and I am contemplating Justice League Dark.

Compare this weeks 9 issues with last weeks 10 issues and you can see how my savings slush fund is slowly swindling. I have to continue to sell more things in eBay to pay for my addiction. Furthermore, I think I will finally list the DVD’s that have been sitting in my entertainment center for the past year…you know, those movies you buy, watch once and then never watch again because they end up on cable or Netflix (streaming). So on the For Sale page you will find movies like Swat, King Kong, Gladiator, Gone in 60 Seconds, the Happening, Never Been Kissed (not mine), LA Confidential among others. In addition to those movies I am going through my old collection of comics and plan on listing every issue of Spawn which I believe are 1 through 89 or so. Obviously they are in excellent condition and are bagged and boarded.

So, back to the new comics which I didn’t even mention the Marvel titles that I’ll be picking up. The sickness continues with Astonishing X-men, the new Hulk #1, New Mutants, Ultimates, and Wolverine & the X-men #1. It seems the more I collect, the more I have to sell to collect. Not sure if the reboot, or more accurately titled Regenesis was planned before the New 52 or not, but I have to think both are helping DC and Marvel sell comics. If the 14 to 15 comics I am picking up this week are any indication of what everyone else is doing, those guys are making a ton of $.

I think I am most looking forward to the new Hulk, the new Wolverine and Teen Titans. If I had to guess, tomorrows blog post will be about Teen Titans 1 and 2.

How many titles are you collecting? Anything you think I am missing? I can’t be the only idiot dropping $30 to $40 a week…can I?

Review: Uncanny X-Men #544

For all intents and purposes, Uncanny X-men was the very first comic I ever read and collected. Oh sure, I was given Disney comics as a kid to read through and then destroy by bending pages, writing on the cover, coloring in different characters that I thought did not look right as colored by the original colorist. However the very first comics that were kept nice and in a box, without bags and boards of course, were the X-men. #212 was the first I purchased and of course it was because of the cover which had a kickass picture of Wolverine and it read “Wolverine vs Sabertooth Round1”. I mean come on, wouldn’t this get you collecting, or at the very least reading?

So starts my obsession with all things mutants…December 1986, a month that will live on forever in my heart. From that point on until life got complicated, I had every issue up until a few years ago when I just became too busy to stop in to the Comic Store every month. Well, the fact the artwork took a turn for the worst and the fact there were just too many X-titles to collect contributed to my decision. Of course, just like most of my decisions, it was a bad one. I should have kept going through X-Men Legacy, New X-Men, X-this and X-that because now I have to go back and buy all the back issues which is going to end up costing me more than if I would have kept going to the shop.

Regardless of my collecting habits, the end of an era is near. With the crazy events of Decimation, House of M, Messiah Complex, Second Coming, and every other multi issue crossover including most importantly Schism, the world of the X-Men is being divided. Cyclops who was the most forthright and true of the X-men has finally decided enough was enough and basically said F You to everyone. He militarized the X-teams and Wolverine, who was the most out of control and animalistic of all seems to be the level headed one. He now wants to start the school up again and train kids and let kids be kids which, now that there are only 200 or so mutants left, seems really important.

The two come to blows on Utopia while being attacked by the monstrous new killer Sentinel made by the new Hellfire club mini’s. back and forth more talking and bashing and finally the kids save the day and the two separate. Now we have two teams, Cyclops and his army and Wolverine and his students. All of the characters have to pick sides and Schism ends with both leaders going in different directions (in more ways than one).

Flash forward to the final issue…WTF? I liked the first page with a representation of the original comic, but the artwork is just not my thing. I am not sure if I’ve seen any of his stuff before, but Greg Land just does not do it for me. I really can’t place the reason, it just strikes me as generic or stock. Like there is no history or past life in the characters. I’m not sure if this was a true finale either since finale’s typically resolve or close a story. SPOILER ALERT – – SPOILER ALERT: I do not understand why Mister Sinister was there, nor do I get why he was writing the lives of the X-men. In the grand scheme of things, how does Sinister rate above Apocalypse or Holocaust or Magneto or ???. I know he was a big player in the Age of Apocalypse, but it was the age of Apocalypse, not the age of Mr. Sinister. Maybe in this new Regenesis he becomes a bigger player and we find out he is pulling the strings. Until then, I see him as a part of the villains of the X world. I really did not get the whole part where he dematerialized and then was reborn…what was that? He didn’t look any different than before. Of course I can’t blame the penciler for the story so the negative comment there must fall on Kieron Gillen.

I guess it all seemed very anti-climactic to me for some reason. I know they had to have the conversati0ns with all the original characters that were left, sans Angel, but to me it seemed more like a very average segue to the reboot. A series finale for the Uncanny X-men has to be bold, exciting, intriguing, earth shattering. I mean come on, this book has been going strong since 1963 and you give me Iceman hitting Cyclops with a snowball? Meh…I love the X-men, and I will continue to collect it but overall I was sadly disappointed with the issue and I truly hope the forthcoming number 1’s will be much more exciting and worth the immense investment, not only myself, but every single other fan has put in to this comic. I really do hope that Uncanny X-Men 1 is not going to be a dud like the damn #1 with vampires from June of 2010. I guess it was the beginning of the Heroic Age but to me, it seemed like Marvels inept attempt to cash in on the Vampire craze.

I want it to go back to the times of X-tinction Agenda or the Mutant Massacre or even Fall of the Mutants. As much of a step back they are in the artwork sense, the stories were great and had awesome character interaction, extravagant battles and more importantly a direct storyline. I am not a fan of all the X-books out there right now. There should be 4 tops. Regardless of what you think of my ramblings, you can at the very least know how passionate I am about the history of the X-men and would love to see it go back to the glory days of old. My rating for the finale… 2 stars.

Uncanny X-Men – Cruelest Cut TPB

If you’ve read any of my previous posts, you already know I am partial to the X-Men. They were basically the first comic I ever bought and collected and somehow, someway I strayed and missed some issues. I don’t know if it was because I discovered girls or because I ran low on cash or because my time was stretched too thin (most likely a combination of all of those reasons) but I missed some issues.

Any collector knows buying back issues can be a bit expensive, especially if you are looking for back issues for some of the more popular titles. I ended up buying this TPB on eBay, 3 times. I did not pay attention to the details in the auction so I ended up with 2 extra copies. I’m told it is a really good storyline covering issues 450 to 454. But. since I have not gotten the issues leading up to it, I have not yet read it so I can’t review it.

I purchased a year membership to the Marvel Digital Comics which will help me get caught up with what is going on. I hate being behind and there are not enough hours in the day to read everything. So, with that being said, if you are interested in getting one of the extra copies I have, please feel free to click here or on the image above which will take you to my eBay store where I am selling it for $10.49 which includes shipping. Not a bad deal seeing that the cover price is $11.99 so please check it out.

If anyone has any comments about the content please feel free to keep that to yourself so you don’t spoil it for me. I however love being the spoiler.

Civil War

As stated before, I am loving Marvel Digital Comics. Most recently I finished reading the Civil War storyline, not all the tie ins, just the seven self titled books. I heard of the Civil War storyline before, but I was out of comics for a while and had no idea what was going on. Many of the characters I knew of but there were quite a few I’d never heard of before. Like for instance, Yellowjacket is actually Hank Pym the old Ant-Man/Giant-Man character? How did that happen and why? Obviously I looked in to it and that guy is pretty badass. Mental breakdowns and developing multiple personalities and identities?

Then their is Hulking and Patriot and Wiccan? Where did all these characters come from and why didn’t they kill off some old characters before adding new? Regardless, Civil War is a storyline about the Marvel Universe divided. Those that agree with the Registration Act and those that didn’t.

I loved this storyline and I think it was awesome for character development. Those that wanted to remain masked heroes and keep their anonymity were called the resistance and those that didn’t care were part of the government now with paychecks and pensions. Heroes and Villains fighting side by side for what they believed in…oh yeah, I absolutely loved it. The artwork was awesome, I never heard of Steve McNiven before but I feel he really captured the storyline well in his artwork. It was very emotional and unlike the traditional hero artwork. I am and will always be a fan of the Jim Lee, Andy Kubert, Todd McFarlane look which is very realistic and believable as opposed to some of the artists out there that just draw cartoons. Now I have to go back and find out how Hawkeye dies and the other Avengers along with him. It’s really tough being out of comics for so long and then trying to get back in to it. That’s why I am such a fan of the Flashpoint story and how it is supposed to effect the universe.

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